🔗 Share this article Stupidity and Royal Self-Entitlement Ruined Andrew, and It May Not Be Over Yet The saga started with a solitary photograph, possibly the most significant ever snapped of a member of the monarchy. In the frame appeared the Earl of Inverness, arm-in-arm a teenage girl, while another individual grinned conspiratorially in the background. Absent that image, taken at a gathering in 2001, few would have credited the claims of a adolescent who stated she was moved across the sea and compelled to have brief relations with a individual of the royal family? A curious, telling gesture by someone who had publicly asserted to have not been aware of her, said he could no have had sex with her, and yet provided a large amount of his mother's resources to resolve a drawn-out court action. A Long Period of Disgrace Considering this, talk of the monarchy acting firmly to distance themselves from Andrew are wide of the mark. This scandal has endured for the better part of 15 years since that picture, and an additional image of Andrew ambling pleasantly with a disgraced financier came to light. Hubris: To what extent did his siblings, perhaps even his mother and father, know that Andrew was so self-entitled? Questionable Associations: They must have understood, if his employees and the authorities were doing their jobs, that he had some deeply disreputable companions given he publicly hosted them to estates. Monetary Excess: If the monarchy did not know about his sexual proclivities, they certainly knew about his overspending with state resources. Travel were documented in public records: helicopter flights from the estate to a sporting venue and back again in time for lunch, chartered planes instead of commercial flights, all for the benefit of "the frequent flyer". Existence of Entitlement Then there was the presumption which expected respect when he appeared in a area or the extreme awareness about his royal titles used on his letterheads in messages to his associates. He avoided accountability while his parent, who strangely spoiled him, was still surviving. The Queen did at least remove him of official roles and ceremonial ranks in the consequence of his disastrous and, it is now clear, deceptive public statement six years ago. Latest Events It was only in the last 14 days that events sped up, following the issuance of accounts giving more troubling details of his conduct and that of his connections. Additional revelations have again revealed Andrew's assumption that he could get away with deceiving about his contact with a convicted criminal. People (and the media) were far in advance of the monarchy. There was no one of any importance to support him, a result of all those years of arrogance. Monarchical Concerns The more intelligent monarchical figures realized that. The key objective is to hand down the institution, if not as heretofore at least whole and unblemished. They have spent the last 190 years trying to undo the legacy of past sovereigns, demonstrating they are valuable, accountable and attentive to their citizens. He was placing all that in danger in an time when respect and secrecy is no longer enough. The Fallout Finally, the famously uncertain monarch was prodded additional. There was little choice. The palace had relinquished authority of the narrative. Now it is the removal of designations and the ongoing and life-long personal shame that will pain Andrew most deeply. Demotion: Reduced to just Mr Mountbatten-Windsor Past Example: The initial royal to lose his titles in contemporary era Armed Forces: Especially painful given his duty in the conflict He continues to be a constitutional officer, theoretically able to stand in for the monarch, and he is still in the succession to the crown, but none of these will ever come to pass. Coming Developments Will people he encounters still defer to him? Will they still slip up and call him Sir? Would they say Andrew, Naturally, he is not withdrawing to suburbia, but to the sovereign's large estate at a royal residence. In that place, he will be supplied by the monarch with one of the estate properties and given some sort of personal stipend. This is not his prior accommodation, where he paid a nominal rent for more than 20 years, and the area is a bit far, but even so it may not be far enough. Pending Matters The situation continues. There are still records in the custody of US Congress to be disclosed. Governmental Scrutiny: Might parliament request additional information Fiscal Review: Or investigate the improper use of public money Legal Possibility: There may even be a police investigation into his conduct Perhaps for the moment the institutional damage to the crown is contained. The narrative from the palace was plainly that the stripping of designations was what the sovereign, and notably other senior royals, wanted. A Shift in Position No more deception that Andrew was making the choice himself. And, notably, the short communication showed plainly that the institution were supporting the victim's version of events. Even more, for the initial instance they finally showed regard for the survivors: "The measures are considered essential, regardless of the reality that he persists in refuting the accusations against him." Ultimately it is entitlement, selfishness and inactivity that will undermine the monarchy. In his folly, personal excess and greed, Andrew appears never to have grasped that reality.