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It all began with a isolated photograph, possibly the most impactful ever taken of a royal family member.

Present was the Duke of York, arm-in-arm a young woman, while an associate grinned suggestively in the backdrop.

Without that photograph, captured at a gathering in 2001, few would have credited the allegations of a young woman who declared she was moved across the Atlantic and obliged to have brief relations with a prince of the royal family?

A curious, indicative move by someone who had openly stated to have not been aware of her, said he could never have had relations with her, and yet handed over millions of monarchical money to avert a long-delayed legal case.

Over a Decade of Scandal

In this context, discussions of the royal family acting decisively to distance themselves from Andrew are misguided. This controversy has endured for the largest portion of 15 years since that photograph, and an additional image of Andrew strolling amiably with a disgraced financier came to light.

• Hubris: For what duration did his family members, maybe even his relatives, understand that Andrew was so presumptuous?
• Questionable Associations: They must have understood, if his aides and the police were doing their jobs, that he had some extremely unsavory companions given he openly hosted them to palaces.
• Financial Extravagance: If the family did not know about his sexual proclivities, they certainly knew about his overspending with state resources.

Travel were listed in public records: private aircraft flights from the palace to a country club and back again in time for dining, private flights instead of scheduled services, all for the comfort of "the travel enthusiast".

World of Deference

Furthermore the presumption which demanded subservience when he entered 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 matriarch, who inexplicably spoiled him, was still living. The Queen did at least strip him of public duties and honorary colonelcies in the aftermath of his catastrophic and, we now know, deceptive media appearance six years ago.

Latest Events

It was only in the last two weeks that events accelerated, following the publication of accounts giving more disturbing details of his conduct and that of his associates.

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

Society (and the press) were far ahead of the royal family. There was nobody of any significance to speak up for him, a result of all those years of arrogance.

Institutional Fears

The more astute royals recognized that. The key objective is to transfer the institution, if not as previously at least intact and unblemished.

Over time the last 190 years trying to reverse the legacy of earlier rulers, demonstrating they are valuable, accountable and responsive to their citizens.

Andrew was putting all that in jeopardy in an era when submission and discretion is no longer adequate.

The Fallout

Eventually, the well-known hesitant king was pressured additional. There was little choice. The palace had relinquished authority of the story.

Presently the removal of titles and the ongoing and life-long social disgrace that will pain Andrew the most.

• Demotion: Demoted to just Mr Mountbatten-Windsor
• Historical Precedent: The first member to lose his designations in contemporary era
• Armed Forces: Particularly painful given his service in the conflict

He remains a constitutional officer, theoretically able to substitute for the sovereign, and he is still eighth in line to the monarchy, but neither of these will actually occur.

What Lies Ahead

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

Naturally, he is not retiring to suburbia, but to the royal family's vast estate at Sandringham.

There, he will be supplied by the monarch with one of the estate properties and given some type of personal stipend.

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

Pending Matters

Matters remain unresolved. There are still documents in the possession of US Congress to be revealed.

• Parliamentary Interest: Could legislators request additional information
• Fiscal Review: Or scrutinize the improper use of public money
• Criminal Investigation: There may even be a criminal probe into his behavior

Maybe for the present the reputational impact to the crown is restricted. The statement from the royal household was plainly that the removal of designations was what the monarch, and notably other senior monarchical figures, wanted.

Changed Stance

No more pretence that Andrew was doing it voluntarily. And, significantly, the concise statement showed evidently that the monarchy were aligning with the complainant's account of occurrences.

Furthermore, for the initial instance they eventually showed regard for the affected individuals: "The censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he persists in refuting the accusations against him."

Finally it is arrogance, selfishness and indolence that will kill the crown. In his foolishness, self-gratification and corruption, Andrew seems never to have understood that lesson.