🔗 Share this article Stupidity and Monarchical Hubris Sunk Andrew, and It Could Continue Yet This episode commenced with a solitary photograph, possibly the most impactful ever snapped of a royal family member. Present was the Duke of York, with his arm around a female youth, while an associate smiled suggestively in the backdrop. Absent that image, taken at a social event in 2001, who would have believed the allegations of a adolescent who said she was trafficked across the Atlantic and compelled to have brief relations with a member of the royal family? An odd, telling action by someone who had openly claimed to have never known about her, claimed he could not have had sex with her, and yet paid millions of monarchical resources to avert a protracted legal case. A Long Period of Controversy Considering this, discussions of the royal family acting swiftly to distance themselves from Andrew are wide of the mark. This controversy has persisted for the majority of 15 years since that photograph, and a further photo of Andrew ambling amiably with a convicted sex offender came to light. Self-importance: How long did his family members, maybe even his mother and father, know that Andrew was so presumptuous? Problematic Connections: They must have understood, if his staff and the law enforcement were doing their jobs, that he had some deeply disreputable associates given he publicly welcomed them to royal residences. Monetary Excess: If the household did not know about his sexual proclivities, they certainly knew about his wastefulness with state resources. Travel were listed in official documents: private aircraft travel from the palace to a country club and back again in time for dining, private flights instead of regular transport, all for the benefit of "the travel enthusiast". World of Deference Additionally the entitlement which required respect when he walked into a space or the supreme consciousness about his royal titles used on his letterheads in messages to his associates. He managed to escape consequences while his matriarch, who unaccountably pampered him, was still surviving. The sovereign did at least revoke him of royal responsibilities and honorary colonelcies in the consequence of his catastrophic and, as revealed, deceptive media appearance six years ago. Current Situation It was only in the last two weeks that events sped up, following the release of accounts giving more troubling particulars of his behavior and that of his companions. More information have again exposed Andrew's belief that he could avoid deceiving about his interaction with a notorious figure. People (and the media) were far more perceptive of the royals. There was not a single person of any consequence to support him, a result of all those years of hubris. Monarchical Concerns The more intelligent monarchical figures recognized that. The key objective is to hand down the crown, if not as previously at least whole and unstained. Over time the last 190 years trying to undo the image of past sovereigns, proving they are useful, accountable and attentive to their citizens. Andrew was putting all that in jeopardy in an era when respect and discretion is no longer sufficient. Aftermath Ultimately, the notoriously uncertain monarch was prodded additional. There was no alternative. The royal household had lost control of the story. Currently the loss of honorifics and the ongoing and lifetime personal shame that will hurt Andrew most severely. Downgrading: Reduced to just a commoner Prior Instance: The first monarch to lose his titles in modern times Armed Forces: Especially hurtful given his service in the conflict He remains a royal advisor, in principle able to act for the monarch, and he is still in the succession to the throne, but not any of these will truly occur. What Lies Ahead Will people he meets still defer to him? Will they still slip up and call him Your Highness? Might they say Andrew, Naturally, he is not moving to a common area, but to the monarchy's large estate at a monarchical property. At that location, he will be supplied by the king with one of the estate properties and given some form of personal stipend. This is not his prior accommodation, where he paid a minimal rent for more than 20 years, and the area is a bit distant, but even so it may not be sufficiently removed. Pending Matters Matters remain unresolved. There are still records in the possession of overseas authorities to be revealed. Political Pressure: Will legislators demand more Fiscal Review: Or examine the waste of taxpayer funds Legal Possibility: There may even be a criminal probe into his conduct Possibly for the present the harm to the monarchy to the monarchy is contained. The statement from the royal household was evidently that the removal of titles was what the sovereign, and particularly other senior monarchical figures, wanted. Changed Stance An end to deception that Andrew was acting willingly. And, notably, the short announcement showed plainly that the monarchy were supporting the complainant's narrative of incidents. Additionally, for the first time they finally showed concern for the affected individuals: "The censures are judged required, regardless of the truth that he persists in refuting the allegations against him." In the end it is arrogance, selfishness and inactivity that will undermine the monarchy. In his folly, self-gratification and corruption, Andrew seems never to have grasped that lesson.