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It all began with a isolated photograph, possibly the most consequential ever captured of a individual from the royal household.

Present was the Baron Killyleagh, standing closely beside a young woman, while an associate smiled knowingly in the rear.

Without that photograph, captured at a gathering in 2001, who would have believed the allegations of a teenager who stated she was moved across the ocean and forced to have cursory relations with a prince of the monarchy?

A strange, revealing move by someone who had overtly claimed to have no known about her, said he could never have had sex with her, and yet provided a substantial sum of monarchical money to avert a protracted legal case.

A Long Period of Disgrace

Against this backdrop, conversations of the royal family acting swiftly to sever ties with Andrew are inaccurate. This scandal has persisted for the better part of 15 years since that image, and a further photo of Andrew strolling amiably with a notorious individual came to light.

• Hubris: How long did his siblings, perhaps even his relatives, know that Andrew was so self-entitled?
• Problematic Connections: They must have understood, if his aides and the authorities were doing their jobs, that he had some extremely unsavory companions given he unabashedly invited them to royal residences.
• Fiscal Irresponsibility: If the household did not know about his personal conduct, they certainly knew about his overspending with state resources.

Trips were documented in royal annual reports: helicopter flights from the palace to a golf course and back again in time for dining, private flights instead of commercial flights, all for the benefit of "the frequent flyer".

Existence of Entitlement

Additionally the presumption which expected subservience when he walked into a space or the extreme awareness about his royal titles used on his correspondence in messages to his friends.

He managed to escape consequences while his parent, who unaccountably pampered him, was still living. The sovereign did at least strip him of public duties and honorary colonelcies in the wake of his catastrophic and, as revealed, mendacious public statement six years ago.

Latest Events

Just in the last two weeks that events sped up, following the release of biographical works giving more disturbing information of his behavior and that of his companions.

Additional revelations have again revealed Andrew's thinking that he could get away with lying about his relationship with a disgraced individual.

Society (and the journalists) were far in advance of the monarchy. There was nobody of any consequence to support him, a outcome of all those years of hubris.

Royal Worries

The more astute monarchical figures recognized that. The primary concern is to pass on the crown, if not as before at least intact and unstained.

They have spent the last 190 years trying to reverse the reputation of past sovereigns, demonstrating they are valuable, accountable and reactive to their citizens.

His actions endangered all that in jeopardy in an age when respect and secrecy is no longer enough.

Consequences

Eventually, the notoriously hesitant sovereign was pushed more. There was no other option. The palace had surrendered command of the account.

Currently the loss of titles and the continued and lifetime social disgrace that will pain Andrew most deeply.

• Demotion: Reduced to just a private citizen
• Historical Precedent: The primary member to surrender his designations in recent history
• Naval Career: Especially stinging given his duty in the conflict

He is still a constitutional officer, theoretically able to stand in for the monarch, and he is still eighth in line to the monarchy, but neither of these will truly occur.

Future Prospects

Do individuals he meets still acknowledge him? Might they still forget themselves and call him Prince? Would they say Sir,

Of course, he is not moving to a common area, but to the sovereign's large grounds at a royal residence.

At that location, he will be furnished by the monarch with one of the estate properties and given some sort of personal stipend.

It is not his previous residence, where he paid a minimal lease for more than 20 years, and Norfolk is a bit remote, but even so it may not be adequate distance.

Unresolved Issues

The situation continues. There are still files in the custody of overseas authorities to be made public.

• Governmental Scrutiny: Will parliament demand more
• Monetary Probe: Or examine the improper use of public money
• Judicial Potential: There may even be a criminal probe into his conduct

Possibly for the time being the harm to the monarchy to the monarchy is limited. The message from the institution was evidently that the removal of titles 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 brief communication showed clearly that the monarchy were aligning with the victim's version of occurrences.

Additionally, for the first time they eventually showed consideration for the survivors: "The measures are deemed necessary, regardless of the fact that he continues to deny the claims against him."

Ultimately it is arrogance, selfishness and laziness that will destroy the crown. In his foolishness, personal excess and venality, Andrew appears never to have understood that truth.