🔗 Share this article Foolishness and Monarchical Hubris Sunk Andrew, and It Could Continue Yet This episode commenced with a isolated photograph, perhaps the most consequential ever taken of a member of the monarchy. In the frame appeared the Baron Killyleagh, standing closely beside a young woman, while another individual beamed conspiratorially in the background. Lacking that image, taken at a gathering in 2001, it would have been difficult to accept the claims of a adolescent who declared she was transported across the sea and compelled to have perfunctory relations with a member of the monarchy? A curious, telling action by someone who had publicly claimed to have never heard of her, said he could not have had intimate contact with her, and yet provided millions of monarchical funds to resolve a drawn-out legal case. Years of Scandal Against this backdrop, talk of the royal family acting decisively to distance themselves from Andrew are wide of the mark. This controversy has endured for the majority of 15 years since that picture, and another image of Andrew ambling pleasantly with a convicted sex offender came to light. Self-importance: To what extent did his brothers and sisters, possibly even his parents, know that Andrew was so arrogant? Questionable Associations: They must have known, if his aides and the law enforcement were doing their jobs, that he had some extremely unsavory associates given he unabashedly welcomed them to estates. Fiscal Irresponsibility: If the household did not know about his sexual proclivities, they certainly knew about his overspending with state resources. Journeys were listed in royal annual reports: chopper flights from the estate to a golf course and back again in time for midday meal, exclusive air travel instead of commercial flights, all for the comfort of "Airmiles Andy". A Life of Privilege Then there was the arrogance which expected deference when he walked into a space or the supreme obsession about his designations used on his official documents in messages to his friends. He could get away with it while his matriarch, who inexplicably indulged him, was still living. The monarch did at least revoke him of official roles and ceremonial ranks in the aftermath of his ill-fated and, as revealed, untruthful public statement six years ago. Recent Developments Just in the last 14 days that events sped up, following the issuance of books giving more disturbing information of his conduct and that of his associates. Additional revelations have again exposed Andrew's thinking that he could escape lying about his interaction with a convicted criminal. Society (and the press) were far in advance of the monarchy. There was nobody of any significance to support him, a result of all those years of presumption. Institutional Fears The more intelligent royals understood that. The key objective is to pass on the crown, if not as before at least whole and unstained. For generations the last 190 years trying to undo the reputation of earlier rulers, demonstrating they are useful, dutiful and attentive to their citizens. Andrew was putting all that in peril in an time when respect and privacy is no longer enough. Aftermath Finally, the famously indecisive monarch was prodded additional. There was little choice. The palace had lost control of the narrative. Now it is the loss of designations and the ongoing and permanent personal shame that will afflict Andrew the most. Reduction: Demoted to just a private citizen Historical Precedent: The initial monarch to lose his titles in contemporary era Military Service: Notably painful given his service in the conflict He continues to be a counsellor of state, theoretically able to stand in for the king, and he is still in the lineage to the monarchy, but none of these will actually happen. Coming Developments Do individuals he encounters still acknowledge him? Will they still make mistakes and call him Your Highness? Will they even say Andrew, Certainly, he is not withdrawing to suburbia, but to the sovereign's large estate at a royal residence. In that place, he will be supplied by the sovereign with one of the estate properties and given some sort of private allowance. It is not his prior accommodation, where he paid a minimal payment for more than 20 years, and Norfolk is a bit distant, but even so it may not be sufficiently removed. Pending Matters The situation continues. There are still documents in the hands of overseas authorities to be revealed. Governmental Scrutiny: Could legislators seek further action Fiscal Review: Or scrutinize the waste of public money Judicial Potential: There may even be a law enforcement inquiry into his behavior Maybe for the time being the institutional damage to the institution is limited. The message from the royal household was clearly that the removal of honorifics was what the sovereign, and especially other senior royals, sought. A Shift in Position An end to pretence that Andrew was acting willingly. And, remarkably, the concise communication showed clearly that the monarchy were aligning with the victim's version of incidents. Even more, for the premiere occasion they eventually showed concern for the affected individuals: "The measures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the truth that he maintains his innocence of the accusations against him." Ultimately it is entitlement, selfishness and laziness that will undermine the crown. In his foolishness, personal excess and greed, Andrew gives the impression never to have grasped that truth.