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It all began with a isolated photograph, arguably the most significant ever taken of a individual from the royal household.

There stood the Earl of Inverness, arm-in-arm a young woman, while a companion beamed knowingly in the backdrop.

Lacking that photograph, shot at a gathering in 2001, who would have believed the claims of a young woman who declared she was moved across the sea and compelled to have cursory sexual encounters with a member of the monarchy?

An odd, telling move by someone who had publicly claimed to have no been aware of her, said he could not have had sex with her, and yet handed over a large amount of family resources to avert a long-delayed court action.

Over a Decade of Scandal

Considering this, conversations of the monarchy acting swiftly to sever ties with Andrew are inaccurate. This affair has persisted for the better part of 15 years since that picture, and an additional snapshot of Andrew ambling amiably with a convicted sex offender emerged.

• Hubris: How long did his brothers and sisters, possibly even his parents, understand that Andrew was so arrogant?
• Dubious Friendships: They must have realized, if his aides and the authorities were doing their jobs, that he had some extremely unsavory friends given he openly welcomed them to royal residences.
• Monetary Excess: If the family did not know about his sexual proclivities, they certainly knew about his wastefulness with taxpayer funds.

Trips were printed in official documents: chopper transfers from the palace to a country club and back again in time for midday meal, private flights instead of regular transport, all for the convenience of "Airmiles Andy".

World of Deference

Additionally the presumption which expected subservience when he walked into a space or the profound consciousness about his royal titles used on his correspondence in communication to his personal acquaintances.

He managed to escape consequences while his matriarch, who unaccountably pampered him, was still surviving. The Queen did at least revoke him of official roles and military positions in the consequence of his disastrous and, as revealed, deceptive media appearance six years ago.

Current Situation

Merely in the last two weeks that events progressed rapidly, following the release of biographical works giving more grim information of his behavior and that of his associates.

Additional revelations have again highlighted Andrew's assumption that he could escape lying about his contact with a disgraced individual.

The public (and the media) were far more perceptive of the royal family. There was not a single person of any consequence to support him, a result of all those years of presumption.

Royal Worries

The more intelligent family members recognized that. The one imperative is to transfer the monarchy, if not as previously at least complete and untarnished.

They have spent the last 190 years trying to overcome the legacy of past sovereigns, proving they are valuable, responsible and responsive to their citizens.

His actions endangered all that in peril in an age when deference and discretion is no longer adequate.

The Fallout

Eventually, the notoriously uncertain sovereign was prodded additional. There was little choice. The royal household had surrendered command of the account.

Currently the removal of designations and the continued and life-long social disgrace that will hurt Andrew most severely.

• Demotion: Demoted to just a commoner
• Historical Precedent: The first monarch to forfeit his designations in contemporary era
• Military Service: Especially stinging given his duty in the engagement

He remains a royal advisor, theoretically able to substitute for the sovereign, and he is still eighth in line to the throne, but not any of these will ever come to pass.

What Lies Ahead

Can persons he encounters still defer to him? Will they still forget themselves and call him Prince? Would they say Mr,

Certainly, he is not moving to suburbia, but to the sovereign's vast estate at a royal residence.

There, he will be supplied by the king with one of the royal residences and given some sort of private allowance.

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

Outstanding Concerns

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

• Parliamentary Interest: Could lawmakers seek further action
• Monetary Probe: Or scrutinize the waste of state resources
• Criminal Investigation: There may even be a criminal probe into his behavior

Perhaps for the time being the institutional damage to the crown is limited. The narrative from the palace was clearly that the removal of designations was what the sovereign, and notably other senior family members, sought.

A Shift in Position

No more deception that Andrew was doing it voluntarily. And, notably, the concise statement showed plainly that the royals were supporting the victim's version of incidents.

Additionally, for the first time they ultimately showed consideration for the victims: "These actions are judged required, notwithstanding the truth that he continues to deny the accusations against him."

Finally it is arrogance, self-seeking and inactivity that will undermine the monarchy. In his folly, self-gratification and greed, Andrew seems never to have understood that reality.