🔗 Share this article Foolishness and Monarchical Hubris Ruined Andrew, and It Could Continue Yet It all began with a single photograph, perhaps the most significant ever captured of a royal family member. Present was the Duke of York, standing closely beside a teenage girl, while another individual smiled knowingly in the rear. Absent that snapshot, taken at a party in 2001, it would have been difficult to accept the allegations of a young woman who stated she was transported across the ocean and obliged to have cursory sexual encounters with a individual of the royal bloodline? A curious, telling move by someone who had overtly asserted to have never been aware of her, claimed he could never have had sex with her, and yet paid a large amount of monarchical funds to settle a drawn-out lawsuit. Years of Controversy Considering this, discussions of the monarchy acting swiftly to sever ties with Andrew are inaccurate. This controversy has endured for the majority of 15 years since that image, and a further snapshot of Andrew walking pleasantly with a notorious individual came to light. Self-importance: To what extent did his brothers and sisters, perhaps even his mother and father, realize that Andrew was so presumptuous? Dubious Friendships: They must have known, if his staff and the law enforcement were fulfilling their roles, that he had some highly questionable friends given he publicly hosted them to estates. Financial Extravagance: If the family did not know about his sexual proclivities, they certainly knew about his extravagance with state resources. Travel were printed in public records: chopper flights from the estate to a country club and back again in time for lunch, exclusive air travel instead of scheduled services, all for the convenience of "the frequent flyer". A Life of Privilege Additionally the entitlement which required deference when he entered a area or the extreme awareness about his designations used on his letterheads in letters to his associates. He avoided accountability while his mother, who unaccountably spoiled him, was still living. The monarch did at least revoke him of official roles and military positions in the consequence of his ill-fated and, it is now clear, deceptive public statement six years ago. Current Situation Merely in the last two weeks that events sped up, following the issuance of biographical works giving more grim details of his behavior and that of his companions. More information have again exposed Andrew's thinking that he could escape being untruthful about his interaction with a disgraced individual. The public (and the media) were far ahead of the royal family. There was not a single person of any importance to support him, a outcome of all those years of arrogance. Institutional Fears The more intelligent royals understood that. The primary concern is to pass on the crown, if not as before at least complete and untarnished. Over time the last 190 years trying to overcome the image of previous monarchs, demonstrating they are useful, dutiful and reactive to their subjects. Andrew was putting all that in jeopardy in an age when deference and privacy is no longer enough. Aftermath Finally, the famously uncertain sovereign was pressured further. There was little choice. The palace had relinquished authority of the story. Presently the removal of designations and the persistent and lifetime personal shame that will pain Andrew most deeply. Reduction: Reduced to just a private citizen Past Example: The primary member to lose his titles in recent history Naval Career: Especially stinging given his role in the conflict He remains a royal advisor, theoretically able to substitute for the sovereign, and he is still eighth in line to the crown, but neither of these will truly happen. What Lies Ahead Do individuals he comes across still show respect to him? Might they still make mistakes and call him Your Highness? Will they even say Andrew, Certainly, he is not retiring to an ordinary town, but to the sovereign's extensive estate at Sandringham. In that place, he will be provided by the king with one of the estate properties and given some type of financial support. This differs from his prior accommodation, where he paid a minimal lease for more than 20 years, and the area is a bit far, but even so it may not be adequate distance. Unresolved Issues The situation continues. There are still files in the hands of US Congress to be disclosed. Governmental Scrutiny: Will lawmakers seek further action Fiscal Review: Or scrutinize the misuse of public money Legal Possibility: There may even be a criminal probe into his behavior Perhaps for the present the institutional damage to the institution is restricted. The message from the institution was evidently that the revocation of designations was what the sovereign, and notably other senior family members, wanted. Altered Approach An end to illusion that Andrew was acting willingly. And, significantly, the short statement showed evidently that the monarchy were siding with the accuser's account of occurrences. Furthermore, for the initial instance they eventually showed consideration for the survivors: "These actions are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the reality that he continues to deny the allegations against him." In the end it is entitlement, selfishness and indolence that will destroy the monarchy. In his stupidity, self-gratification and corruption, Andrew appears never to have understood that lesson.