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The saga started with a single photograph, perhaps the most impactful ever taken of a individual from the royal household.

Present was the Baron Killyleagh, standing closely beside a teenage girl, while an associate beamed knowingly in the background.

Absent that image, captured at a gathering in 2001, who would have believed the assertions of a adolescent who said she was trafficked across the Atlantic and forced to have perfunctory relations with a prince of the monarchy?

An odd, indicative gesture by someone who had openly stated to have never been aware of her, said he could no have had relations with her, and yet paid a large amount of family money to avert a drawn-out lawsuit.

Years of Controversy

In this context, conversations of the royals acting decisively to cut Andrew off are misguided. This scandal has persisted for the largest portion of 15 years since that picture, and an additional image of Andrew walking amiably with a disgraced financier came to light.

• Hubris: To what extent did his siblings, possibly even his mother and father, realize that Andrew was so presumptuous?
• Questionable Associations: They must have known, if his staff and the law enforcement were performing their duties, that he had some highly questionable associates given he openly welcomed them to palaces.
• Monetary Excess: If the monarchy did not know about his sexual proclivities, they certainly knew about his extravagance with taxpayer funds.

Journeys were listed in royal annual reports: chopper travel from the royal residence to a sporting venue and back again in time for lunch, chartered planes instead of scheduled services, all for the comfort of "the frequent flyer".

A Life of Privilege

Additionally the entitlement which required subservience when he entered a room or the extreme consciousness about his designations used on his official documents in messages to his associates.

He managed to escape consequences while his mother, who unaccountably indulged him, was still living. The sovereign did at least remove him of official roles and military positions in the wake of his disastrous and, we now know, deceptive media appearance six years ago.

Latest Events

It was only in the last 14 days that events progressed rapidly, following the issuance of biographical works giving more grim particulars of his actions and that of his connections.

Additional revelations have again highlighted Andrew's belief that he could get away with deceiving about his relationship with a disgraced individual.

The public (and the media) were far ahead of the royal family. There was not a single person of any significance to speak up for him, a result of all those years of presumption.

Institutional Fears

The more intelligent royals realized that. The one imperative is to hand down the crown, if not as heretofore at least intact and unstained.

For generations the last 190 years trying to overcome the image of previous monarchs, proving they are valuable, dutiful and attentive to their citizens.

Andrew was putting all that in danger in an era when deference and privacy is no longer sufficient.

Consequences

Finally, the famously uncertain king was pushed further. There was no other option. The royal household had surrendered command of the narrative.

Presently the removal of designations and the persistent and permanent social disgrace that will afflict Andrew the most.

• Demotion: Reduced to just a commoner
• Past Example: The initial monarch to surrender his titles in contemporary era
• Naval Career: Notably stinging given his service in the conflict

He is still a counsellor of state, theoretically able to substitute for the sovereign, and he is still in the succession to the monarchy, but none of these will actually come to pass.

What Lies Ahead

Do individuals he comes across still acknowledge him? Might they still slip up and call him Prince? Would they say Sir,

Of course, he is not withdrawing to an ordinary town, but to the sovereign's large grounds at Sandringham.

At that location, he will be furnished by the sovereign with one of the royal residences and given some type of financial support.

This differs from his prior accommodation, where he paid a nominal payment for more than 20 years, and the area is a bit distant, but even so it may not be sufficiently removed.

Unresolved Issues

Matters remain unresolved. There are still records in the hands of US Congress to be made public.

• Governmental Scrutiny: Could lawmakers seek further action
• Financial Investigation: Or scrutinize the waste of public money
• Judicial Potential: There may even be a criminal probe into his conduct

Possibly for the time being the institutional damage to the crown is restricted. The narrative from the institution was plainly that the revocation of titles was what the monarch, and particularly other senior monarchical figures, wanted.

Changed Stance

The cessation of deception that Andrew was making the choice himself. And, notably, the brief announcement showed evidently that the institution were supporting the victim's version of occurrences.

Additionally, for the premiere occasion they ultimately showed regard for the victims: "The measures are deemed necessary, regardless of the fact that he persists in refuting the claims against him."

Ultimately it is arrogance, self-seeking and indolence that will kill the institution. In his foolishness, self-indulgence and greed, Andrew gives the impression never to have grasped that reality.