Stupidity and Monarchical Hubris Ruined Andrew, and It Could Continue Yet

The saga started with a isolated photograph, possibly the most consequential ever captured of a member of the monarchy.

Present was the Duke of York, arm-in-arm a young woman, while another individual grinned conspiratorially in the backdrop.

Lacking that photograph, shot at a gathering in 2001, few would have credited the assertions of a young woman who declared she was trafficked across the ocean and obliged to have perfunctory relations with a member of the royal bloodline?

A strange, revealing action by someone who had publicly claimed to have no heard of her, asserted he could never have had relations with her, and yet handed over a substantial sum of monarchical funds to avert a long-delayed lawsuit.

A Long Period of Disgrace

Considering this, talk of the royal family acting firmly to sever ties with Andrew are wide of the mark. This controversy has continued for the majority of 15 years since that image, and a further image of Andrew strolling pleasantly with a disgraced financier surfaced.

• Hubris: To what extent did his siblings, possibly even his parents, know that Andrew was so arrogant?
• Problematic Connections: They must have known, if his staff and the police were doing their jobs, that he had some extremely unsavory friends given he unabashedly invited them to estates.
• Financial Extravagance: If the household did not know about his intimate behaviors, they certainly knew about his extravagance with state resources.

Travel were documented in public records: private aircraft 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 convenience of "the travel enthusiast".

A Life of Privilege

Then there was the presumption which expected deference when he appeared in a room or the extreme obsession about his royal titles used on his letterheads in letters to his associates.

He managed to escape consequences while his matriarch, who inexplicably indulged him, was still living. The sovereign did at least revoke him of official roles and ceremonial ranks in the consequence of his catastrophic and, it is now clear, untruthful television interview six years ago.

Latest Events

Just in the last 14 days that events accelerated, following the release of books giving more grim details of his actions and that of his associates.

Additional revelations have again revealed Andrew's assumption that he could escape being untruthful about his interaction with a convicted criminal.

People (and the press) were far in advance of the monarchy. There was no one of any significance to defend him, a result of all those years of arrogance.

Institutional Fears

The more astute royals understood that. The one imperative is to pass on the crown, if not as before at least complete and unstained.

For generations the last 190 years trying to undo the image of past sovereigns, demonstrating they are valuable, responsible and attentive to their citizens.

His actions endangered all that in danger in an era when deference and secrecy is no longer enough.

Aftermath

Finally, the famously indecisive king was pressured additional. There was no other option. The institution had relinquished authority of the account.

Now it is the removal of titles and the continued and lifetime public humiliation that will hurt Andrew most severely.

• Downgrading: Demoted to just Mr Mountbatten-Windsor
• Historical Precedent: The first member to forfeit his titles in modern times
• Naval Career: Notably painful given his service in the engagement

He remains a counsellor of state, on paper able to act for the king, and he is still in the succession to the crown, but neither of these will ever come to pass.

Future Prospects

Will people he comes across still defer to him? Might they still make mistakes and call him Your Highness? Might they say Sir,

Certainly, he is not moving to an ordinary town, but to the royal family's extensive property at a royal residence.

At that location, he will be provided by the sovereign with one of the royal residences and given some sort of financial support.

It is not his former home, where he paid a nominal payment for more than 20 years, and the area is a bit remote, but even so it may not be adequate distance.

Pending Matters

The situation continues. There are still documents in the possession of US Congress to be revealed.

• Political Pressure: Could lawmakers demand more
• Fiscal Review: Or scrutinize the waste of state resources
• Criminal Investigation: There may even be a criminal probe into his behavior

Possibly for the moment the reputational impact to the institution is contained. The narrative from the palace was plainly that the removal of designations was what the sovereign, and notably other senior royals, sought.

Changed Stance

No more pretence that Andrew was acting willingly. And, significantly, the concise communication showed evidently that the institution were supporting the accuser's version of events.

Even more, for the initial instance they eventually showed concern for the affected individuals: "The censures are considered essential, regardless of the fact that he persists in refuting the allegations against him."

Finally it is arrogance, self-seeking and inactivity that will undermine the institution. In his foolishness, self-indulgence and greed, Andrew appears never to have learned that lesson.