🔗 Share this article Foolishness and Regal Arrogance Damaged Andrew, and It Could Continue Yet It all began with a single photograph, possibly the most impactful ever captured of a royal family member. In the frame appeared the Earl of Inverness, with his arm around a young woman, while an associate smiled suggestively in the backdrop. Lacking that photograph, taken at a gathering in 2001, it would have been difficult to accept the claims of a adolescent who declared she was trafficked across the ocean and obliged to have brief sexual encounters with a prince of the royal family? A curious, revealing action by someone who had overtly claimed to have no heard of her, asserted he could not have had relations with her, and yet provided a substantial sum of monarchical money to settle a protracted lawsuit. Years of Controversy Considering this, discussions of the royal family acting decisively to distance themselves from Andrew are wide of the mark. This controversy has persisted for the largest portion of 15 years since that photograph, and an additional image of Andrew walking pleasantly with a notorious individual surfaced. Arrogance: To what extent did his siblings, maybe even his mother and father, realize that Andrew was so arrogant? Problematic Connections: They must have known, if his staff and the law enforcement were doing their jobs, that he had some deeply disreputable companions given he openly welcomed them to royal residences. Fiscal Irresponsibility: If the family did not know about his intimate behaviors, they certainly knew about his extravagance with state resources. Trips were printed in public records: chopper travel from the royal residence to a country club and back again in time for lunch, exclusive air travel instead of scheduled services, all for the benefit of "the travel enthusiast". A Life of Privilege Furthermore the arrogance which demanded subservience when he walked into a room or the profound awareness about his royal titles used on his official documents in communication to his associates. He managed to escape consequences while his matriarch, who unaccountably spoiled him, was still alive. The sovereign did at least strip him of official roles and honorary colonelcies in the wake of his catastrophic and, it is now clear, deceptive public statement six years ago. Recent Developments It was only in the last two weeks that events sped up, following the release of accounts giving more troubling details of his conduct and that of his companions. More information have again highlighted Andrew's assumption that he could avoid deceiving about his contact with a disgraced individual. Society (and the press) were far in advance of the monarchy. There was no one of any consequence to speak up for him, a outcome of all those years of presumption. Institutional Fears The wiser family members understood that. The primary concern is to transfer the monarchy, if not as before at least intact and untarnished. They have spent the last 190 years trying to undo the reputation of earlier rulers, proving they are useful, responsible and responsive to their citizens. Andrew was putting all that in peril in an time when respect and secrecy is no longer sufficient. Consequences Finally, the well-known indecisive monarch was prodded further. There was little choice. The palace had lost control of the account. Presently the removal of honorifics and the persistent and life-long personal shame that will pain Andrew most severely. Demotion: Lowered to just a commoner Historical Precedent: The first member to lose his titles in modern times Military Service: Particularly painful given his role in the conflict He is still a royal advisor, theoretically able to substitute for the sovereign, and he is still in the succession to the throne, but not any of these will ever happen. What Lies Ahead Will people he comes across still defer to him? Might they still slip up and call him Your Highness? Would they say Mr, Naturally, he is not withdrawing to an ordinary town, but to the royal family's extensive estate at a monarchical property. There, he will be provided by the monarch with one of the estate properties and given some sort of personal stipend. This differs from his former home, where he paid a token payment for more than 20 years, and the area is a bit distant, but even so it may not be adequate distance. Outstanding Concerns This is not over. There are still files in the possession of overseas authorities to be disclosed. Governmental Scrutiny: Will parliament request additional information Monetary Probe: Or investigate the improper use of taxpayer funds Legal Possibility: There may even be a criminal probe into his behavior Possibly for the moment the reputational impact to the monarchy is restricted. The message from the royal household was plainly that the stripping of honorifics was what the sovereign, and notably other senior monarchical figures, desired. Changed Stance The cessation of illusion that Andrew was doing it voluntarily. And, notably, the short statement showed plainly that the royals were siding with the victim's account of events. Additionally, for the first time they ultimately showed concern for the victims: "These actions are judged required, regardless of the reality that he continues to deny the allegations against him." Finally it is arrogance, self-interest and indolence that will undermine the monarchy. In his stupidity, self-indulgence and venality, Andrew seems never to have understood that lesson.