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This episode commenced with a solitary photograph, arguably the most consequential ever captured of a member of the monarchy.

There stood the Earl of Inverness, with his arm around a young woman, while a companion smiled knowingly in the rear.

Without that photograph, shot at a gathering in 2001, few would have credited the allegations of a adolescent who stated she was trafficked across the Atlantic and obliged to have brief relations with a prince of the royal family?

An odd, telling gesture by someone who had openly stated to have no heard of her, asserted he could never have had sex with her, and yet provided a large amount of family resources to resolve a drawn-out legal case.

Years of Disgrace

Considering this, discussions of the royals acting swiftly to sever ties with Andrew are inaccurate. This affair has continued for the better part of 15 years since that photograph, and another photo of Andrew walking congenially with a notorious individual surfaced.

• Arrogance: How long did his siblings, perhaps even his mother and father, understand that Andrew was so presumptuous?
• Dubious Friendships: They must have understood, if his staff and the law enforcement were fulfilling their roles, that he had some deeply disreputable associates given he openly invited them to palaces.
• Fiscal Irresponsibility: If the family did not know about his personal conduct, they certainly knew about his overspending with state resources.

Trips were documented in royal annual reports: chopper transfers from the estate to a sporting venue and back again in time for dining, exclusive air travel instead of regular transport, all for the comfort of "the travel enthusiast".

Existence of Entitlement

Furthermore the arrogance which required deference when he entered a area or the extreme consciousness about his designations used on his official documents in letters to his associates.

He could get away with it while his matriarch, who inexplicably pampered him, was still alive. The monarch did at least remove him of official roles and honorary colonelcies in the wake of his disastrous and, it is now clear, mendacious media appearance six years ago.

Current Situation

Merely in the last fortnight that events progressed rapidly, following the publication of accounts giving more disturbing information of his actions and that of his connections.

Further disclosures have again highlighted Andrew's thinking that he could escape being untruthful about his relationship with a notorious figure.

People (and the media) were far ahead of the monarchy. There was no one of any consequence to defend him, a result of all those years of arrogance.

Monarchical Concerns

The more intelligent family members realized that. The one imperative is to hand down the institution, if not as previously at least whole and unstained.

Over time the last 190 years trying to undo the image of previous monarchs, proving they are useful, accountable and attentive to their citizens.

He was placing all that in jeopardy in an time when deference and secrecy is no longer enough.

The Fallout

Finally, the notoriously indecisive sovereign was prodded additional. There was no other option. The institution had relinquished authority of the account.

Currently the stripping of designations and the continued and lifetime social disgrace that will hurt Andrew most deeply.

• Downgrading: Lowered to just a private citizen
• Past Example: The primary royal to forfeit his designations in contemporary era
• Military Service: Notably stinging given his duty in the conflict

He is still a constitutional officer, theoretically able to act for the king, and he is still in the succession to the monarchy, but not any of these will truly happen.

What Lies Ahead

Will people he meets still show respect to him? Could they still forget themselves and call him Sir? Will they even say Sir,

Naturally, he is not moving to an ordinary town, but to the sovereign's vast estate at Sandringham.

There, he will be provided by the monarch with one of the grace and favour houses and given some type of financial support.

It is not his prior accommodation, where he paid a token lease for more than 20 years, and Norfolk is a bit distant, but even so it may not be sufficiently removed.

Unresolved Issues

Matters remain unresolved. There are still records in the hands of American legislators to be revealed.

• Governmental Scrutiny: Might legislators request additional information
• Financial Investigation: Or scrutinize the waste of public money
• Criminal Investigation: There may even be a criminal probe into his behavior

Maybe for the present the institutional damage to the monarchy is contained. The narrative from the institution was clearly that the revocation of titles was what the king, and particularly other senior family members, sought.

Altered Approach

The cessation of deception that Andrew was making the choice himself. And, remarkably, the concise statement showed evidently that the royals were aligning with the victim's narrative of events.

Additionally, for the initial instance they ultimately showed consideration for the survivors: "The censures are deemed necessary, despite the fact that he continues to deny the accusations against him."

In the end it is entitlement, self-seeking and inactivity that will destroy the crown. In his foolishness, self-indulgence and venality, Andrew appears never to have learned that reality.