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It all began with a isolated photograph, possibly the most impactful ever snapped of a royal family member.

In the frame appeared the Duke of York, standing closely beside a teenage girl, while an associate beamed conspiratorially in the background.

Without that snapshot, shot at a gathering in 2001, few would have credited the assertions of a young woman who said she was moved across the sea and obliged to have perfunctory relations with a individual of the royal family?

A curious, telling action by someone who had publicly claimed to have no known about her, asserted he could not have had sex with her, and yet handed over a large amount of monarchical funds to settle a protracted legal case.

A Long Period of Disgrace

Against this backdrop, conversations of the monarchy acting firmly to sever ties with Andrew are wide of the mark. This scandal has persisted for the better part of 15 years since that picture, and another image of Andrew strolling amiably with a disgraced financier came to light.

• Arrogance: How long did his brothers and sisters, perhaps even his relatives, understand that Andrew was so self-entitled?
• Questionable Associations: They must have realized, if his staff and the police were performing their duties, that he had some deeply disreputable friends given he unabashedly invited them to palaces.
• Fiscal Irresponsibility: If the household did not know about his intimate behaviors, they certainly knew about his wastefulness with taxpayer funds.

Journeys were listed in royal annual reports: chopper transfers from the palace to a country club and back again in time for midday meal, private flights instead of regular transport, all for the convenience of "the travel enthusiast".

World of Deference

Then there was the presumption which expected deference when he walked into a room or the profound obsession about his royal titles used on his correspondence in letters to his personal acquaintances.

He could get away with it while his parent, who unaccountably indulged him, was still alive. The sovereign did at least remove him of public duties and military positions in the wake of his ill-fated and, we now know, untruthful public statement six years ago.

Latest Events

Merely in the last two weeks that events accelerated, following the issuance of books giving more disturbing details of his behavior and that of his connections.

Additional revelations have again revealed Andrew's assumption that he could get away with being untruthful about his relationship with a notorious figure.

The public (and the press) were far more perceptive of the monarchy. There was nobody of any consequence to speak up for him, a result of all those years of hubris.

Royal Worries

The wiser royals realized that. The primary concern is to transfer the crown, if not as before at least intact and untarnished.

Over time the last 190 years trying to reverse the legacy of previous monarchs, proving they are useful, dutiful and attentive to their subjects.

He was placing all that in peril in an era when submission and discretion is no longer adequate.

Aftermath

Eventually, the notoriously hesitant king was prodded more. There was no alternative. The institution had surrendered command of the story.

Presently the removal of honorifics and the ongoing and permanent personal shame that will pain Andrew most deeply.

• Reduction: Reduced to just a commoner
• Historical Precedent: The initial royal to surrender his honorifics in contemporary era
• Military Service: Especially hurtful given his service in the engagement

He continues to be a counsellor of state, on paper able to act for the king, and he is still in the succession to the crown, but none of these will ever come to pass.

What Lies Ahead

Will people he comes across still defer to him? Could they still make mistakes and call him Prince? Will they even say Mr,

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

At that location, he will be furnished by the king with one of the estate properties and given some form of financial support.

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

Unresolved Issues

The situation continues. There are still documents in the custody of overseas authorities to be disclosed.

• Political Pressure: Will lawmakers demand more
• Fiscal Review: Or examine the misuse of state resources
• Legal Possibility: There may even be a law enforcement inquiry into his conduct

Possibly for the present the institutional damage to the institution is restricted. The statement from the institution was evidently that the revocation of titles was what the monarch, and especially other senior monarchical figures, sought.

A Shift in Position

The cessation of illusion that Andrew was doing it voluntarily. And, significantly, the concise communication showed clearly that the institution were supporting the victim's narrative of events.

Even more, for the first time they ultimately showed concern for the affected individuals: "These actions are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the truth that he persists in refuting the allegations against him."

In the end it is arrogance, self-interest and indolence that will undermine the institution. In his foolishness, self-gratification and venality, Andrew appears never to have learned that truth.