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

There stood the Baron Killyleagh, standing closely beside a teenage girl, while a companion grinned suggestively in the backdrop.

Lacking that image, captured at a gathering in 2001, few would have credited the allegations of a young woman who stated she was trafficked across the sea and obliged to have cursory relations with a prince of the royal family?

A strange, revealing gesture by someone who had openly claimed to have no been aware of her, said he could not have had sex with her, and yet paid millions of his mother's resources to avert a protracted lawsuit.

Over a Decade of Disgrace

Considering this, discussions of the monarchy acting swiftly to sever ties with Andrew are misguided. This affair has endured for the better part of 15 years since that image, and a further snapshot of Andrew ambling pleasantly with a notorious individual surfaced.

• Arrogance: How long did his siblings, possibly even his relatives, realize that Andrew was so presumptuous?
• Dubious Friendships: They must have known, if his aides and the law enforcement were doing their jobs, that he had some extremely unsavory companions given he unabashedly invited them to estates.
• Fiscal Irresponsibility: If the family did not know about his intimate behaviors, they certainly knew about his overspending with public money.

Trips were documented in public records: private aircraft transfers from the royal residence to a golf course and back again in time for lunch, chartered planes instead of commercial flights, all for the convenience of "the travel enthusiast".

World of Deference

Then there was the arrogance which expected respect when he walked into a space or the supreme consciousness about his royal titles used on his letterheads in letters to his friends.

He avoided accountability while his parent, who unaccountably pampered him, was still alive. The Queen did at least remove him of royal responsibilities and military positions in the consequence of his disastrous and, it is now clear, untruthful public statement six years ago.

Current Situation

Just in the last fortnight that events accelerated, following the publication of accounts giving more disturbing particulars of his behavior and that of his connections.

Further disclosures have again highlighted Andrew's belief that he could escape lying about his interaction with a notorious figure.

Society (and the press) were far ahead of the monarchy. There was not a single person of any significance to defend him, a consequence of all those years of arrogance.

Royal Worries

The more astute family members realized that. The one imperative is to hand down the monarchy, if not as heretofore at least whole and unblemished.

They have spent the last 190 years trying to reverse the legacy of previous monarchs, demonstrating they are beneficial, accountable and reactive to their subjects.

Andrew was putting all that in peril in an age when submission and privacy is no longer adequate.

Consequences

Eventually, the well-known uncertain monarch was pressured more. There was little choice. The institution had lost control of the narrative.

Now it is the loss of designations and the continued and life-long social disgrace that will pain Andrew the most.

• Downgrading: Reduced to just a commoner
• Past Example: The first royal to forfeit his designations in recent history
• Naval Career: Notably hurtful given his service in the conflict

He is still a royal advisor, in principle able to act for the king, and he is still eighth in line to the monarchy, but not any of these will actually come to pass.

What Lies Ahead

Can persons he comes across still defer to him? Will they still forget themselves and call him Your Highness? Will they even say Sir,

Certainly, he is not withdrawing to an ordinary town, but to the sovereign's vast estate at a monarchical property.

There, he will be furnished by the sovereign with one of the royal residences and given some form of financial support.

This differs from his previous residence, where he paid a minimal rent for more than 20 years, and Norfolk is a bit distant, but even so it may not be adequate distance.

Pending Matters

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

• Governmental Scrutiny: Could lawmakers seek further action
• Monetary Probe: Or examine the misuse of state resources
• Legal Possibility: There may even be a police investigation into his actions

Perhaps for the moment the institutional damage to the institution is limited. The narrative from the royal household was clearly that the revocation of honorifics was what the sovereign, and notably other senior royals, wanted.

A Shift in Position

The cessation of deception that Andrew was acting willingly. And, notably, the brief communication showed clearly that the institution were aligning with the complainant's account of incidents.

Even more, for the initial instance they ultimately showed concern for the victims: "The measures are considered essential, regardless of the reality that he continues to deny the allegations against him."

Finally it is presumption, self-interest and indolence that will undermine the crown. In his foolishness, self-gratification and venality, Andrew gives the impression never to have grasped that truth.