🔗 Share this article Foolishness and Royal Self-Entitlement Sunk Andrew, and It Could Continue Yet The saga started with a isolated photograph, perhaps the most impactful ever taken of a member of the monarchy. In the frame appeared the Earl of Inverness, arm-in-arm a teenage girl, while an associate grinned conspiratorially in the rear. Absent that image, captured at a party in 2001, few would have credited the allegations of a teenager who said she was trafficked across the Atlantic and obliged to have cursory sexual encounters with a prince of the royal bloodline? An odd, indicative move by someone who had publicly asserted to have no been aware of her, asserted he could never have had intimate contact with her, and yet handed over millions of monarchical money to avert a protracted lawsuit. A Long Period of Controversy Against this backdrop, conversations of the royal family acting decisively to sever ties with Andrew are misguided. This affair has continued for the better part of 15 years since that picture, and another snapshot of Andrew walking amiably with a notorious individual came to light. Self-importance: To what extent did his family members, possibly even his parents, understand that Andrew was so arrogant? Problematic Connections: They must have understood, if his employees and the law enforcement were doing their jobs, that he had some deeply disreputable friends given he publicly hosted them to estates. Fiscal Irresponsibility: If the household did not know about his sexual proclivities, they certainly knew about his wastefulness with taxpayer funds. Journeys were documented in public records: chopper transfers from the estate to a country club and back again in time for lunch, exclusive air travel instead of regular transport, all for the benefit of "the travel enthusiast". A Life of Privilege Furthermore the entitlement which expected respect when he entered a space or the profound obsession about his honorifics used on his correspondence in communication to his personal acquaintances. He could get away with it while his mother, who strangely spoiled him, was still alive. The Queen did at least revoke him of official roles and ceremonial ranks in the aftermath of his ill-fated and, it is now clear, deceptive media appearance six years ago. Current Situation It was only in the last two weeks that events sped up, following the publication of books giving more troubling details of his actions and that of his companions. More information have again exposed Andrew's thinking that he could avoid being untruthful about his contact with a notorious figure. People (and the press) were far more perceptive of the monarchy. There was not a single person of any importance to support him, a consequence of all those years of presumption. Monarchical Concerns The more astute royals understood that. The primary concern is to pass on the monarchy, if not as heretofore at least complete and untarnished. They have spent the last 190 years trying to reverse the image of past sovereigns, showing they are beneficial, accountable and reactive to their people. Andrew was putting all that in jeopardy in an time when submission and privacy is no longer adequate. Consequences Ultimately, the notoriously indecisive monarch was pressured additional. There was no alternative. The institution had surrendered command of the story. Presently the loss of designations and the persistent and life-long personal shame that will afflict Andrew the most. Downgrading: Demoted to just a private citizen Prior Instance: The primary royal to lose his designations in recent history Military Service: Notably painful given his duty in the engagement He remains a counsellor of state, theoretically able to stand in for the sovereign, and he is still eighth in line to the crown, but not any of these will actually occur. Future Prospects Will people he encounters still acknowledge him? Will they still slip up and call him Your Highness? Would they say Mr, Certainly, he is not retiring to a common area, but to the monarchy's vast property at a monarchical property. In that place, he will be provided by the king with one of the royal residences and given some type of personal stipend. This differs from his prior accommodation, where he paid a minimal payment for more than 20 years, and Norfolk is a bit remote, but even so it may not be far enough. Unresolved Issues This is not over. There are still records in the possession of American legislators to be disclosed. Parliamentary Interest: Could parliament demand more Fiscal Review: Or investigate the waste of state resources Legal Possibility: There may even be a criminal probe into his conduct Maybe for the moment the reputational impact to the institution is contained. The statement from the royal household was evidently that the stripping of titles was what the sovereign, and especially other senior family members, desired. Altered Approach The cessation of illusion that Andrew was doing it voluntarily. And, significantly, the brief statement showed evidently that the royals were siding with the complainant's account of occurrences. Additionally, for the initial instance they eventually showed consideration for the affected individuals: "These actions are considered essential, notwithstanding the truth that he persists in refuting the allegations against him." In the end it is entitlement, selfishness and laziness that will destroy the institution. In his folly, personal excess and greed, Andrew gives the impression never to have grasped that truth.