After much speculation, Prince Andrew is being stripped of all of his remaining royal titles, most notably the Dukedom of York,and the Order of the Garter. This represents an existential humiliation for the beleaguered ‘Randy Andy’.
This represents an existential humiliation for the beleaguered ‘Randy Andy’
Yet it could have been seen coming a mile off as soon as it became clear that the latest Jeffrey Epstein revelations were not only hugely damaging, but could well be merely the tip of the iceberg, with plenty more incriminating emails potentially lurking in the e-ther, ready to traduce what little remains of Andrew’s reputation. That he has also had dealings with a Chinese spy is merely the rancid icing on this particular stale cake.
The statement put out by Buckingham Palace was straightforward. In it, Andrew said ‘In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal family. I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life. With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.’
Reading between the lines, it is quite clear that ‘in discussion with the King’ means ‘I have been told, sharpish, to abandon every royal bauble that I’ve so zealously clung onto over the last few years, to disappear from public life and to stop embarrassing all and sundry.’ Charles has widely been reported to have been exasperated with his errant younger brother for some time. But he had held off administering the reputational coup de grace that it is believed that the Prince of Wales would have taken no hesitation in delivering towards his uncle, should he inherit the throne sooner rather than later.
But the most recent stories, not least the imminent Virginia Giuffre memoir that threatens to bring the whole sordid account into vivid life all over again, have been the final straw. It was now inevitable that Andrew – never again to be referred to as the Duke of York – will be pressured to disappear completely from public life.
He will still be Prince Andrew, because nobody can take away the fact that he was born the son of the late sovereign, although it is collateral of his actions that his ex-wife, who ruthlessly monetised her own title as Duchess of York, will now return to being referred as plain old Sarah Ferguson.
Of course there are questions as to whether Royal Lodge will still remain in their keeping. Although Andrew is reported to have paid for the lease privately – from distinctly opaque funds – the idea of such a disgraced figure skulking around Windsor would be seen as anathema by the rest of the royal family.
The Firm acts with a ruthlessness, when it has to, that puts politicians to shame. Andrew may still be denying the accusations against him, and it should be noted that the allegations remain just that, without the smoking gun of an email confession – which even he is probably not so intellectually limited to have provided.
Yet the damage has now been done, and it is clear that the royals want Andrew out of sight and out of mind. Whatever the remaining stories – and it’s looking likely that something spectacular might be about to emerge for pre-emptive action of this kind to be taken – the downfall of the former Duke of York is now complete. Few will be pitying him.
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