🔗 Share this article Stupidity and Monarchical Hubris Sunk Andrew, and It May Not Be Over Yet This episode commenced with a solitary photograph, possibly the most impactful ever snapped of a royal family member. There stood the Baron Killyleagh, with his arm around a young woman, while an associate smiled suggestively in the background. Lacking that snapshot, captured at a social event in 2001, who would have believed the allegations of a teenager who stated she was trafficked across the ocean and obliged to have brief sexual encounters with a individual of the royal family? A curious, revealing move by someone who had publicly claimed to have never heard of her, said he could never have had sex with her, and yet paid millions of his mother's money to settle a drawn-out legal case. Over a Decade of Disgrace Considering this, conversations of the royal family acting swiftly to sever ties with Andrew are misguided. This controversy has endured for the majority of 15 years since that image, and an additional snapshot of Andrew strolling amiably with a disgraced financier surfaced. Hubris: To what extent did his siblings, perhaps even his relatives, understand that Andrew was so arrogant? Dubious Friendships: They must have understood, if his employees and the police were fulfilling their roles, that he had some deeply disreputable friends given he openly invited them to royal residences. Fiscal Irresponsibility: If the monarchy did not know about his sexual proclivities, they certainly knew about his extravagance with public money. Journeys were listed in official documents: helicopter travel from the palace to a country club and back again in time for lunch, private flights instead of commercial flights, all for the benefit of "Airmiles Andy". A Life of Privilege Additionally the entitlement which demanded respect when he appeared in a room or the profound awareness about his honorifics used on his official documents in communication to his friends. He could get away with it while his matriarch, who unaccountably indulged him, was still surviving. The sovereign did at least strip him of public duties and ceremonial ranks in the aftermath of his catastrophic and, we now know, mendacious television interview six years ago. Recent Developments It was only in the last 14 days that events progressed rapidly, following the publication of biographical works giving more troubling details of his conduct and that of his companions. More information have again exposed Andrew's assumption that he could get away with deceiving about his contact with a disgraced individual. People (and the journalists) were far more perceptive of the royals. There was not a single person of any importance to speak up for him, a consequence of all those years of hubris. Institutional Fears The more astute family members recognized that. The primary concern is to transfer the crown, if not as before at least whole and untarnished. Over time the last 190 years trying to overcome the legacy of past sovereigns, demonstrating they are beneficial, responsible and attentive to their people. Andrew was putting all that in peril in an era when deference and secrecy is no longer adequate. Consequences Ultimately, the famously indecisive sovereign was pressured further. There was no other option. The institution had surrendered command of the narrative. Presently the removal of designations and the persistent and permanent personal shame that will hurt Andrew the most. Demotion: Lowered to just a private citizen Prior Instance: The primary monarch to surrender his honorifics in recent history Naval Career: Notably stinging given his service in the engagement He is still a constitutional officer, theoretically able to substitute for the king, and he is still in the succession to the throne, but not any of these will truly occur. Future Prospects Can persons he meets still acknowledge him? Could they still make mistakes and call him Sir? Will they even say Andrew, Of course, he is not retiring to suburbia, but to the royal family's vast property at Sandringham. There, he will be provided by the sovereign with one of the grace and favour houses and given some form of personal stipend. It is not his prior accommodation, where he paid a nominal payment for more than 20 years, and Norfolk is a bit distant, but even so it may not be far enough. Outstanding Concerns The situation continues. There are still files in the possession of US Congress to be disclosed. Governmental Scrutiny: Might parliament seek further action Monetary Probe: Or investigate the waste of taxpayer funds Legal Possibility: There may even be a police investigation into his actions Possibly for the time being the harm to the monarchy to the monarchy is limited. The narrative from the palace was evidently that the removal of designations was what the sovereign, and especially other senior monarchical figures, sought. Altered Approach The cessation of deception that Andrew was making the choice himself. And, remarkably, the brief communication showed plainly that the royals were supporting the accuser's narrative of occurrences. Furthermore, for the first time they ultimately showed regard for the affected individuals: "The measures are judged required, despite the truth that he maintains his innocence of the allegations against him." Ultimately it is entitlement, selfishness and inactivity that will destroy the institution. In his foolishness, self-gratification and greed, Andrew seems never to have grasped that truth.