🔗 Share this article Stupidity and Royal Self-Entitlement Sunk Andrew, and It Might Persist Yet It all began with a single photograph, arguably the most consequential ever taken of a member of the monarchy. In the frame appeared the Duke of York, arm-in-arm a female youth, while an associate beamed suggestively in the background. Lacking that image, taken at a party in 2001, it would have been difficult to accept the assertions of a adolescent who said she was trafficked across the sea and forced to have perfunctory sexual encounters with a member of the royal bloodline? An odd, telling gesture by someone who had overtly asserted to have never heard of her, said he could not have had sex with her, and yet provided a large amount of his mother's resources to resolve a drawn-out court action. Years of Scandal Considering this, conversations of the royals acting firmly to sever ties with Andrew are inaccurate. This affair has persisted for the largest portion of 15 years since that photograph, and a further image of Andrew walking congenially with a disgraced financier emerged. Hubris: For what duration did his family members, maybe even his mother and father, know that Andrew was so self-entitled? Dubious Friendships: They must have understood, if his staff and the police were performing their duties, that he had some deeply disreputable friends given he openly welcomed them to palaces. Financial Extravagance: If the household did not know about his intimate behaviors, they certainly knew about his extravagance with public money. Journeys were listed in royal annual reports: chopper transfers from the palace to a country club and back again in time for lunch, exclusive air travel instead of commercial flights, all for the comfort of "Airmiles Andy". A Life of Privilege Additionally the entitlement which required deference when he walked into a space or the supreme consciousness about his honorifics used on his correspondence in letters to his friends. He avoided accountability while his matriarch, who inexplicably indulged him, was still surviving. The Queen did at least strip him of public duties and ceremonial ranks in the aftermath of his disastrous and, we now know, mendacious media appearance six years ago. Current Situation Just in the last two weeks that events sped up, following the issuance of biographical works giving more disturbing information of his behavior and that of his associates. More information have again revealed Andrew's thinking that he could get away with deceiving about his relationship with a disgraced individual. Society (and the media) were far in advance of the royals. There was no one of any significance to speak up for him, a outcome of all those years of hubris. Institutional Fears The more intelligent royals understood that. The key objective is to pass on the institution, if not as previously at least intact and unstained. They have spent the last 190 years trying to reverse the reputation of past sovereigns, showing they are valuable, responsible and responsive to their subjects. He was placing all that in jeopardy in an age when deference and discretion is no longer sufficient. Consequences Finally, the notoriously uncertain monarch was pushed additional. There was no alternative. The palace had lost control of the narrative. Presently the removal of titles and the ongoing and permanent personal shame that will hurt Andrew most deeply. Reduction: Reduced to just Mr Mountbatten-Windsor Historical Precedent: The primary member to forfeit his titles in recent history Armed Forces: Notably painful given his role in the Falklands war He continues to be a counsellor of state, in principle able to stand in for the king, and he is still in the lineage to the monarchy, but neither of these will actually occur. What Lies Ahead Can persons he encounters still show respect to him? Could they still forget themselves and call him Prince? Would they say Sir, Certainly, he is not retiring to an ordinary town, but to the monarchy's extensive property at a royal residence. At that location, he will be supplied by the king with one of the royal residences and given some sort of financial support. This differs from his prior accommodation, where he paid a nominal lease for more than 20 years, and the county is a bit remote, but even so it may not be adequate distance. Pending Matters This is not over. There are still files in the custody of US Congress to be made public. Parliamentary Interest: Could lawmakers seek further action Financial Investigation: Or investigate the improper use of state resources Judicial Potential: There may even be a police investigation into his behavior Perhaps for the time being the harm to the monarchy to the monarchy is restricted. The message from the institution was clearly that the revocation of titles was what the monarch, and notably other senior family members, desired. Altered Approach The cessation of deception that Andrew was doing it voluntarily. And, notably, the short statement showed plainly that the institution were siding with the complainant's account of occurrences. Additionally, for the premiere occasion they ultimately showed consideration for the victims: "These actions are judged required, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him." In the end it is entitlement, self-interest and inactivity that will destroy the institution. In his foolishness, self-gratification and greed, Andrew gives the impression never to have understood that lesson.