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This episode commenced with a single photograph, arguably the most consequential ever snapped of a royal family member.

There stood the Earl of Inverness, standing closely beside a female youth, while an associate smiled knowingly in the backdrop.

Lacking that snapshot, shot at a party in 2001, who would have believed the assertions of a young woman who stated she was transported across the Atlantic and forced to have brief sexual encounters with a prince of the royal bloodline?

An odd, revealing action by someone who had publicly claimed to have no known about her, said he could not have had relations with her, and yet handed over a substantial sum of family resources to avert a protracted legal case.

Years of Scandal

In this context, discussions of the royal family acting firmly to cut Andrew off are wide of the mark. This scandal has continued for the largest portion of 15 years since that image, and an additional photo of Andrew strolling amiably with a disgraced financier surfaced.

• Hubris: For what duration did his siblings, perhaps even his relatives, know that Andrew was so presumptuous?
• Dubious Friendships: They must have understood, if his aides and the law enforcement were performing their duties, that he had some highly questionable companions given he unabashedly welcomed them to palaces.
• Fiscal Irresponsibility: If the family did not know about his sexual proclivities, they certainly knew about his wastefulness with state resources.

Travel were printed in official documents: chopper flights from the estate to a country club and back again in time for midday meal, exclusive air travel instead of regular transport, all for the convenience of "the frequent flyer".

World of Deference

Then there was the arrogance which demanded deference when he walked into a space or the profound consciousness about his designations used on his correspondence in communication to his personal acquaintances.

He could get away with it while his matriarch, who strangely spoiled him, was still alive. The sovereign did at least revoke him of royal responsibilities and ceremonial ranks in the aftermath of his ill-fated and, it is now clear, deceptive media appearance six years ago.

Recent Developments

It was only in the last 14 days that events accelerated, following the release of accounts giving more grim information of his behavior and that of his connections.

More information have again exposed Andrew's thinking that he could get away with deceiving about his relationship with a convicted criminal.

People (and the journalists) were far in advance of the monarchy. There was nobody of any significance to speak up for him, a result of all those years of presumption.

Royal Worries

The more intelligent royals recognized that. The key objective is to hand down the institution, if not as before at least whole and untarnished.

They have spent the last 190 years trying to reverse the reputation of past sovereigns, proving they are valuable, dutiful and attentive to their citizens.

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

Consequences

Finally, the notoriously hesitant monarch was pushed further. There was little choice. The palace had relinquished authority of the story.

Now it is the stripping of designations and the persistent and life-long personal shame that will hurt Andrew the most.

• Downgrading: Lowered to just Mr Mountbatten-Windsor
• Past Example: The initial royal to forfeit his titles in modern times
• Military Service: Particularly hurtful given his duty in the engagement

He remains a counsellor of state, theoretically able to act for the sovereign, and he is still in the lineage to the monarchy, but not any of these will actually come to pass.

What Lies Ahead

Can persons he encounters still defer to him? Might they still slip up and call him Prince? Might they say Mr,

Certainly, he is not retiring to an ordinary town, but to the monarchy's extensive grounds at Sandringham.

There, he will be provided by the sovereign with one of the estate properties and given some form of private allowance.

It is not his previous residence, where he paid a nominal payment for more than 20 years, and the area is a bit remote, but even so it may not be far enough.

Outstanding Concerns

Matters remain unresolved. There are still records in the custody of overseas authorities to be revealed.

• Political Pressure: Might lawmakers request additional information
• Fiscal Review: Or investigate the waste of state resources
• Criminal Investigation: There may even be a law enforcement inquiry into his behavior

Maybe for the moment the institutional damage to the institution is restricted. The message from the institution was evidently that the removal of designations was what the monarch, and especially other senior family members, desired.

Changed Stance

An end to illusion that Andrew was acting willingly. And, significantly, the brief communication showed clearly that the institution were siding with the complainant's narrative of events.

Even more, for the initial instance they ultimately showed regard for the survivors: "These actions are deemed necessary, despite the reality that he maintains his innocence of the claims against him."

Ultimately it is presumption, selfishness and indolence that will destroy the crown. In his stupidity, self-indulgence and venality, Andrew gives the impression never to have learned that truth.