🔗 Share this article Stupidity and Monarchical Hubris Ruined Andrew, and It Might Persist Yet It all began with a isolated photograph, perhaps the most impactful ever captured of a royal family member. There stood the Earl of Inverness, standing closely beside a young woman, while a companion grinned knowingly in the rear. Absent that image, captured at a gathering in 2001, few would have credited the allegations of a teenager who declared she was trafficked across the sea and obliged to have cursory relations with a prince of the royal bloodline? An odd, telling move by someone who had openly stated to have never heard of her, asserted he could not have had intimate contact with her, and yet handed over millions of family funds to settle a drawn-out lawsuit. A Long Period of Controversy In this context, conversations of the monarchy acting swiftly to sever ties with Andrew are misguided. This controversy has continued for the majority of 15 years since that image, and a further photo of Andrew strolling amiably with a notorious individual emerged. Hubris: For what duration did his siblings, maybe even his parents, realize that Andrew was so arrogant? Dubious Friendships: They must have known, if his employees and the authorities were performing their duties, that he had some extremely unsavory associates given he openly invited them to estates. Fiscal Irresponsibility: If the family did not know about his intimate behaviors, they certainly knew about his wastefulness with taxpayer funds. Travel were documented in public records: helicopter transfers from the estate to a golf course and back again in time for lunch, private flights instead of regular transport, all for the convenience of "Airmiles Andy". Existence of Entitlement Additionally the presumption which demanded respect when he entered a space or the profound obsession about his designations used on his letterheads in letters to his personal acquaintances. He managed to escape consequences while his mother, who strangely indulged him, was still surviving. The monarch did at least strip him of official roles and military positions in the consequence of his ill-fated and, we now know, deceptive television interview six years ago. Latest Events It was only in the last 14 days that events progressed rapidly, following the publication of accounts giving more grim details of his conduct and that of his connections. Additional revelations have again revealed Andrew's assumption that he could escape being untruthful about his contact with a convicted criminal. Society (and the journalists) were far ahead of the monarchy. There was no one of any consequence to support him, a result of all those years of hubris. Royal Worries The more intelligent family members recognized that. The key objective is to transfer the monarchy, if not as heretofore at least intact and unblemished. They have spent the last 190 years trying to undo the reputation of earlier rulers, showing they are useful, responsible and attentive to their citizens. He was placing all that in peril in an age when deference and secrecy is no longer enough. Consequences Ultimately, the famously indecisive king was pressured additional. There was no other option. The institution had relinquished authority of the account. Currently the stripping of honorifics and the continued and lifetime public humiliation that will pain Andrew most deeply. Downgrading: Demoted to just a commoner Past Example: The first monarch to forfeit his designations in modern times Naval Career: Notably stinging given his duty in the engagement He remains a constitutional officer, on paper able to act for the sovereign, and he is still in the succession to the monarchy, but none of these will actually happen. Future Prospects Will people he encounters still acknowledge him? Will they still forget themselves and call him Your Highness? Will they even say Andrew, Naturally, he is not moving to suburbia, but to the sovereign's vast estate at a monarchical property. At that location, he will be provided by the king with one of the royal residences and given some sort of personal stipend. It is not his former home, where he paid a token rent for more than 20 years, and Norfolk is a bit far, but even so it may not be adequate distance. Unresolved Issues This is not over. There are still documents in the custody of US Congress to be made public. Parliamentary Interest: Could lawmakers request additional information Financial Investigation: Or investigate the improper use of taxpayer funds Judicial Potential: There may even be a police investigation into his actions Perhaps for the moment the institutional damage to the crown is limited. The statement from the institution was clearly that the removal of titles was what the sovereign, and particularly other senior family members, sought. Altered Approach The cessation of deception that Andrew was doing it voluntarily. And, notably, the concise statement showed plainly that the monarchy were siding with the victim's account of incidents. Additionally, for the first time they eventually showed consideration for the affected individuals: "The measures are considered essential, regardless of the truth that he continues to deny the allegations against him." Finally it is presumption, self-seeking and laziness that will destroy the monarchy. In his foolishness, self-gratification and greed, Andrew appears never to have grasped that truth.