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This episode commenced with a isolated photograph, possibly the most consequential ever snapped of a member of the monarchy.

There stood the Baron Killyleagh, standing closely beside a young woman, while an associate beamed suggestively in the rear.

Without that snapshot, shot at a party in 2001, who would have believed the claims of a teenager who stated she was transported across the sea and compelled to have brief intimate contact with a individual of the monarchy?

An odd, indicative action by someone who had publicly stated to have never been aware of her, said he could no have had relations with her, and yet provided millions of his mother's money to resolve a protracted lawsuit.

Over a Decade of Controversy

Against this backdrop, conversations of the royals acting firmly to distance themselves from Andrew are wide of the mark. This affair has endured for the better part of 15 years since that image, and a further snapshot of Andrew ambling amiably with a notorious individual emerged.

• Arrogance: To what extent did his family members, maybe even his parents, realize that Andrew was so presumptuous?
• Problematic Connections: They must have understood, if his staff and the authorities were performing their duties, that he had some extremely unsavory friends given he unabashedly welcomed them to royal residences.
• Financial Extravagance: If the monarchy did not know about his intimate behaviors, they certainly knew about his extravagance with public money.

Trips were documented in official documents: helicopter travel from the estate to a country club and back again in time for lunch, exclusive air travel instead of scheduled services, all for the comfort of "the frequent flyer".

Existence of Entitlement

Additionally the presumption which demanded deference when he entered a area or the profound awareness about his designations used on his letterheads in letters to his personal acquaintances.

He managed to escape consequences while his matriarch, who strangely pampered him, was still alive. The Queen did at least remove him of royal responsibilities and military positions in the wake of his catastrophic and, we now know, mendacious media appearance six years ago.

Latest Events

Just in the last two weeks that events progressed rapidly, following the issuance of biographical works giving more troubling details of his actions and that of his associates.

More information have again exposed 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 in advance of the monarchy. There was nobody of any consequence to defend him, a outcome of all those years of hubris.

Royal Worries

The more intelligent royals realized that. The key objective is to transfer the institution, if not as before at least intact and unstained.

For generations the last 190 years trying to undo the reputation of previous monarchs, proving they are valuable, accountable and reactive to their citizens.

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

Aftermath

Eventually, the well-known indecisive monarch was pressured more. There was little choice. The royal household had surrendered command of the narrative.

Currently the removal of titles and the continued and lifetime social disgrace that will hurt Andrew most severely.

• Downgrading: Demoted to just Mr Mountbatten-Windsor
• Historical Precedent: The initial member to forfeit his honorifics in recent history
• Armed Forces: Especially hurtful given his role in the Falklands war

He continues to be a constitutional officer, theoretically able to stand in for the king, and he is still in the succession to the crown, but not any of these will actually happen.

What Lies Ahead

Can persons he encounters still acknowledge him? Will they still forget themselves and call him Prince? Would they say Andrew,

Of course, he is not withdrawing to a common area, but to the sovereign's large property at a royal residence.

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

This is not his prior accommodation, where he paid a minimal payment for more than 20 years, and Norfolk is a bit far, but even so it may not be sufficiently removed.

Unresolved Issues

The situation continues. There are still documents in the possession of US Congress to be revealed.

• Governmental Scrutiny: Might parliament request additional information
• Monetary Probe: Or investigate the waste of state resources
• Criminal Investigation: There may even be a law enforcement inquiry into his actions

Maybe for the present the reputational impact to the institution is restricted. The narrative from the royal household was plainly that the removal of titles was what the king, and particularly other senior family members, desired.

Changed Stance

The cessation of illusion that Andrew was acting willingly. And, notably, the short communication showed clearly that the monarchy were aligning with the accuser's version of incidents.

Even more, for the first time they ultimately showed concern for the affected individuals: "These actions are judged required, notwithstanding the reality that he continues to deny the allegations against him."

Finally it is presumption, self-seeking and indolence that will destroy the crown. In his foolishness, personal excess and corruption, Andrew appears never to have learned that lesson.