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This episode commenced with a single photograph, arguably the most impactful ever snapped of a member of the monarchy.

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

Lacking that image, captured at a gathering in 2001, who would have believed the allegations of a young woman who declared she was trafficked across the ocean and forced to have brief relations with a individual of the monarchy?

A curious, telling gesture by someone who had publicly claimed to have never been aware of her, claimed he could no have had intimate contact with her, and yet provided millions of monarchical resources to settle a protracted legal case.

Over a Decade of Disgrace

In this context, conversations of the royals acting swiftly to distance themselves from Andrew are wide of the mark. This controversy has persisted for the majority of 15 years since that photograph, and a further image of Andrew strolling congenially with a convicted sex offender surfaced.

• Hubris: How long did his family members, possibly even his parents, understand that Andrew was so self-entitled?
• Problematic Connections: They must have realized, if his aides and the police were performing their duties, that he had some deeply disreputable friends given he openly invited them to royal residences.
• Fiscal Irresponsibility: If the family did not know about his intimate behaviors, they certainly knew about his wastefulness with state resources.

Trips were printed in official documents: chopper flights from the estate to a golf course and back again in time for lunch, private flights instead of regular transport, all for the comfort of "the frequent flyer".

World of Deference

Then there was the presumption which expected subservience when he walked into a room or the extreme consciousness about his designations used on his official documents in messages to his friends.

He could get away with it while his matriarch, who unaccountably indulged him, was still surviving. The monarch did at least strip him of public duties and honorary colonelcies in the wake of his catastrophic and, as revealed, mendacious television interview six years ago.

Current Situation

Just in the last 14 days that events sped up, following the publication of biographical works giving more disturbing details of his behavior and that of his companions.

Further disclosures have again revealed Andrew's thinking that he could get away with deceiving about his contact with a notorious figure.

People (and the media) were far more perceptive of the royals. There was no one of any significance to speak up for him, a consequence of all those years of arrogance.

Royal Worries

The more intelligent monarchical figures recognized that. The key objective is to transfer the monarchy, if not as before at least complete and unblemished.

Over time the last 190 years trying to reverse the reputation of past sovereigns, proving they are valuable, accountable and responsive to their citizens.

His actions endangered all that in danger in an age when submission and discretion is no longer sufficient.

Aftermath

Finally, the notoriously hesitant sovereign was pressured additional. There was no other option. The royal household had surrendered command of the narrative.

Currently the stripping of titles and the continued and lifetime personal shame that will hurt Andrew most severely.

• Reduction: Reduced to just Mr Mountbatten-Windsor
• Past Example: The initial member to lose his honorifics in contemporary era
• Armed Forces: Notably painful given his duty in the conflict

He remains a counsellor of state, on paper able to substitute for the king, and he is still in the succession to the throne, but not any of these will actually occur.

What Lies Ahead

Do individuals he meets still acknowledge him? Will they still make mistakes and call him Your Highness? Might they say Sir,

Of course, he is not moving to suburbia, but to the royal family's large grounds at a royal residence.

In that place, he will be furnished by the king with one of the grace and favour houses and given some type of personal stipend.

This differs from his previous residence, where he paid a minimal lease for more than 20 years, and the county is a bit far, but even so it may not be far enough.

Outstanding Concerns

The situation continues. There are still documents in the hands of American legislators to be revealed.

• Governmental Scrutiny: Will parliament seek further action
• Financial Investigation: Or scrutinize the waste of taxpayer funds
• Legal Possibility: There may even be a police investigation into his behavior

Perhaps for the moment the reputational impact to the crown is restricted. The narrative from the institution was plainly that the stripping of honorifics was what the sovereign, and especially other senior family members, sought.

Altered Approach

No more illusion that Andrew was making the choice himself. And, notably, the brief announcement showed clearly that the institution were siding with the victim's version of events.

Furthermore, for the initial instance they eventually showed regard for the victims: "These actions are considered essential, notwithstanding the truth that he persists in refuting the accusations against him."

Ultimately it is arrogance, self-interest and inactivity that will undermine the institution. In his folly, self-gratification and greed, Andrew seems never to have understood that lesson.