🔗 Share this article Folly and Royal Self-Entitlement Ruined Andrew, and It Could Continue Yet This episode commenced with a single photograph, possibly the most significant ever snapped of a member of the monarchy. There stood the Earl of Inverness, arm-in-arm a young woman, while an associate beamed knowingly in the rear. Without that image, shot at a gathering in 2001, few would have credited the assertions of a adolescent who stated she was moved across the Atlantic and compelled to have cursory sexual encounters with a member of the royal bloodline? An odd, indicative move by someone who had publicly stated to have not heard of her, claimed he could no have had relations with her, and yet paid a large amount of monarchical resources to avert a protracted legal case. Over a Decade of Disgrace Against this backdrop, conversations of the royals acting swiftly to sever ties with Andrew are inaccurate. This controversy has persisted for the majority of 15 years since that photograph, and another snapshot of Andrew strolling pleasantly with a notorious individual surfaced. Hubris: How long did his siblings, possibly even his mother and father, realize that Andrew was so presumptuous? Questionable Associations: They must have known, if his employees and the law enforcement were fulfilling their roles, that he had some highly questionable companions given he unabashedly hosted them to estates. Monetary Excess: If the family did not know about his sexual proclivities, they certainly knew about his extravagance with public money. Trips were documented in official documents: chopper transfers from the estate to a golf course and back again in time for midday meal, chartered planes instead of regular transport, all for the comfort of "the travel enthusiast". Existence of Entitlement Additionally the arrogance which expected subservience when he entered a room or the profound consciousness about his designations used on his correspondence in communication to his personal acquaintances. He managed to escape consequences while his matriarch, who unaccountably spoiled him, was still alive. The monarch did at least strip him of public duties and honorary colonelcies in the consequence of his catastrophic and, we now know, deceptive media appearance six years ago. Recent Developments Just in the last 14 days that events sped up, following the release of accounts giving more troubling particulars of his conduct and that of his companions. More information have again highlighted Andrew's assumption that he could avoid being untruthful about his relationship with a notorious figure. The public (and the journalists) were far ahead of the royal family. There was not a single person of any consequence to defend him, a result of all those years of presumption. Institutional Fears The more intelligent monarchical figures realized that. The primary concern is to transfer the monarchy, if not as previously at least intact and unblemished. For generations the last 190 years trying to undo the image of earlier rulers, showing they are valuable, dutiful and attentive to their subjects. He was placing all that in jeopardy in an age when deference and privacy is no longer sufficient. The Fallout Finally, the notoriously hesitant sovereign was pressured additional. There was no alternative. The palace had surrendered command of the story. Presently the loss of honorifics and the continued and life-long personal shame that will afflict Andrew the most. Demotion: Reduced to just a commoner Historical Precedent: The primary royal to surrender his titles in modern times Naval Career: Notably hurtful given his duty in the Falklands war He continues to be a constitutional officer, in principle able to substitute for the monarch, and he is still in the succession to the monarchy, but neither of these will truly occur. What Lies Ahead Will people he meets still acknowledge him? Will they still slip up and call him Your Highness? Will they even say Andrew, Of course, he is not moving to suburbia, but to the royal family's large estate at Sandringham. At that location, he will be provided by the sovereign with one of the estate properties and given some sort of financial support. It is not his previous residence, where he paid a minimal rent for more than 20 years, and the county is a bit far, but even so it may not be adequate distance. Outstanding Concerns Matters remain unresolved. There are still records in the hands of American legislators to be made public. Political Pressure: Might lawmakers request additional information Fiscal Review: Or examine the improper use of taxpayer funds Judicial Potential: There may even be a police investigation into his actions Perhaps for the moment the harm to the monarchy to the crown is restricted. The statement from the palace was clearly that the stripping of titles was what the sovereign, and notably other senior monarchical figures, sought. A Shift in Position The cessation of pretence that Andrew was acting willingly. And, significantly, the concise statement showed evidently that the monarchy were siding with the complainant's narrative of events. Furthermore, for the first time they ultimately showed consideration for the victims: "The measures are considered essential, regardless of the reality that he persists in refuting the accusations against him." In the end it is presumption, self-interest and indolence that will undermine the crown. In his stupidity, self-indulgence and greed, Andrew appears never to have grasped that reality.