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The saga started with a solitary photograph, possibly the most significant ever captured of a individual from the royal household.

Present was the Baron Killyleagh, arm-in-arm a young woman, while another individual smiled conspiratorially in the rear.

Lacking that snapshot, shot at a gathering in 2001, who would have believed the assertions of a teenager who stated she was moved across the ocean and obliged to have brief relations with a individual of the royal bloodline?

A strange, indicative move by someone who had publicly stated to have never been aware of her, said he could not have had sex with her, and yet handed over millions of family money to resolve a long-delayed legal case.

A Long Period of Disgrace

Considering this, talk of the royals acting swiftly to sever ties with Andrew are wide of the mark. This scandal has persisted for the largest portion of 15 years since that picture, and another image of Andrew strolling pleasantly with a convicted sex offender came to light.

• Arrogance: How long did his family members, possibly even his relatives, know that Andrew was so self-entitled?
• Problematic Connections: They must have known, if his staff and the law enforcement were fulfilling their roles, that he had some deeply disreputable friends given he publicly welcomed them to royal residences.
• Financial Extravagance: If the family did not know about his personal conduct, they certainly knew about his overspending with state resources.

Travel were printed in royal annual reports: chopper transfers from the estate to a golf course and back again in time for dining, chartered planes instead of scheduled services, all for the comfort of "the frequent flyer".

World of Deference

Additionally the arrogance which demanded subservience when he appeared in a room or the extreme awareness about his royal titles used on his letterheads in letters to his associates.

He managed to escape consequences while his mother, who strangely pampered him, was still surviving. The monarch did at least strip him of royal responsibilities and honorary colonelcies in the wake of his disastrous and, it is now clear, deceptive public statement six years ago.

Latest Events

It was only in the last two weeks that events accelerated, following the issuance of biographical works giving more disturbing information of his behavior and that of his companions.

More information have again exposed Andrew's assumption that he could avoid being untruthful about his relationship with a convicted criminal.

Society (and the press) were far ahead of the royals. There was no one of any consequence to support him, a outcome of all those years of presumption.

Royal Worries

The wiser royals recognized that. The key objective is to pass on the institution, if not as heretofore at least intact and untarnished.

For generations the last 190 years trying to undo the reputation of previous monarchs, demonstrating they are valuable, responsible and responsive to their citizens.

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

Consequences

Ultimately, the notoriously hesitant sovereign was prodded more. There was little choice. The institution had lost control of the narrative.

Currently the loss of titles and the ongoing and life-long public humiliation that will pain Andrew most deeply.

• Reduction: Lowered to just a private citizen
• Historical Precedent: The first monarch to forfeit his designations in contemporary era
• Armed Forces: Notably hurtful given his duty in the conflict

He remains a royal advisor, theoretically able to stand in for the monarch, and he is still in the lineage to the throne, but none of these will actually come to pass.

Coming Developments

Do individuals he encounters still acknowledge him? Will they still forget themselves and call him Your Highness? Would they say Mr,

Naturally, he is not withdrawing to a common area, but to the royal family's extensive estate at Sandringham.

At that location, he will be supplied by the sovereign with one of the estate properties and given some form of private allowance.

It is not his prior accommodation, where he paid a token rent for more than 20 years, and the area is a bit far, but even so it may not be far enough.

Unresolved Issues

This is not over. There are still records in the possession of US Congress to be made public.

• Political Pressure: Could lawmakers seek further action
• Monetary Probe: Or examine the waste of taxpayer funds
• Judicial Potential: There may even be a police investigation into his conduct

Maybe for the present the reputational impact to the monarchy is contained. The narrative from the institution was plainly that the stripping of titles was what the monarch, and notably other senior monarchical figures, sought.

A Shift in Position

An end to illusion that Andrew was acting willingly. And, notably, the short announcement showed clearly that the institution were siding with the complainant's account of incidents.

Even more, for the premiere occasion they eventually showed regard for the affected individuals: "The censures are judged required, notwithstanding the fact that he persists in refuting the accusations against him."

In the end it is presumption, selfishness and laziness that will destroy the crown. In his foolishness, self-indulgence and greed, Andrew gives the impression never to have understood that truth.