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It all began with a solitary photograph, arguably the most impactful ever taken of a member of the monarchy.

There stood the Baron Killyleagh, with his arm around a female youth, while an associate grinned suggestively in the rear.

Absent that snapshot, captured at a social event in 2001, it would have been difficult to accept the assertions of a young woman who declared she was transported across the Atlantic and forced to have perfunctory relations with a member of the royal family?

A curious, indicative move by someone who had overtly asserted to have not heard of her, asserted he could never have had relations with her, and yet provided a large amount of monarchical funds to resolve a long-delayed lawsuit.

Years of Disgrace

Considering this, conversations of the monarchy acting firmly to sever ties with Andrew are inaccurate. This scandal has persisted for the largest portion of 15 years since that photograph, and an additional snapshot of Andrew walking amiably with a disgraced financier emerged.

• Hubris: How long did his siblings, maybe even his relatives, realize that Andrew was so arrogant?
• Problematic Connections: They must have known, if his employees and the authorities were performing their duties, that he had some deeply disreputable companions given he unabashedly hosted them to estates.
• Monetary Excess: If the family did not know about his sexual proclivities, they certainly knew about his extravagance with taxpayer funds.

Trips were listed in royal annual reports: chopper flights from the estate to a golf course and back again in time for midday meal, exclusive air travel instead of scheduled services, all for the comfort of "the travel enthusiast".

A Life of Privilege

Furthermore the entitlement which demanded subservience when he appeared in a room or the extreme awareness about his honorifics used on his official documents in messages to his friends.

He managed to escape consequences while his mother, who inexplicably spoiled him, was still living. The Queen did at least strip him of official roles and honorary colonelcies in the consequence of his catastrophic and, we now know, deceptive television interview six years ago.

Recent Developments

It was only in the last 14 days that events accelerated, following the publication of books giving more grim details of his actions and that of his associates.

More information have again exposed Andrew's assumption that he could escape lying about his interaction with a notorious figure.

People (and the press) were far in advance of the royals. There was not a single person of any consequence to defend him, a result of all those years of presumption.

Institutional Fears

The more intelligent family members understood that. The key objective is to transfer the crown, if not as previously at least intact and untarnished.

For generations the last 190 years trying to overcome the reputation of earlier rulers, proving they are beneficial, dutiful and responsive to their citizens.

He was placing all that in jeopardy in an time when submission and discretion is no longer sufficient.

Aftermath

Eventually, the notoriously indecisive monarch was prodded further. There was no other option. The institution had surrendered command of the account.

Presently the loss of titles and the persistent and life-long public humiliation that will hurt Andrew most severely.

• Downgrading: Lowered to just a private citizen
• Historical Precedent: The first monarch to lose his honorifics in modern times
• Armed Forces: Particularly stinging given his duty in the conflict

He continues to be a royal advisor, theoretically able to stand in for the sovereign, and he is still in the lineage to the throne, but not any of these will actually come to pass.

What Lies Ahead

Will people he comes across still defer to him? Will they still forget themselves and call him Prince? Might they say Mr,

Certainly, he is not retiring to a common area, but to the sovereign's large estate at a royal residence.

At that location, he will be provided by the king with one of the estate properties and given some form of personal stipend.

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

Pending Matters

This is not over. There are still files in the possession of American legislators to be made public.

• Parliamentary Interest: Might legislators request additional information
• Monetary Probe: Or examine the improper use of state resources
• Legal Possibility: There may even be a criminal probe into his behavior

Maybe for the present the institutional damage to the institution is restricted. The statement from the institution was evidently that the removal of honorifics was what the monarch, and especially other senior monarchical figures, wanted.

A Shift in Position

The cessation of deception that Andrew was making the choice himself. And, remarkably, the short communication showed plainly that the monarchy were aligning with the accuser's account of occurrences.

Furthermore, for the initial instance they eventually showed concern for the affected individuals: "The censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the truth that he continues to deny the allegations against him."

Ultimately it is presumption, selfishness and laziness that will kill the institution. In his stupidity, self-gratification and venality, Andrew seems never to have learned that truth.