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IAnd the light of revelations that keeps coming – and will certainly continue to come, after Tuesday’s posthumous publication Virginia Giuffre’s memoir , prince andrewdecision of Give up your royal titles It should be a case of better late than never. No matter how long it took and no matter how strong the king’s actions, it was still far better that this most sweeping sanction ever imposed on a prince should at least have the garb of voluntary approval rather than being imposed through Parliament.
This government, indeed any government, can do a lot without wasting parliamentary time on issues royal family Must be able to handle oneself. On the other hand, if there is any substance to the report that Andrew asked his close security officer for this Giuffre’s background check – one of the latest allegations to come to light – this should be a matter for the authorities. So it’s true that the Metropolitan Police is looking into the claim,
As for whether removing Andrew’s titles is enough, many say not – given the still mounting evidence that he lied about the extent and duration of his relationship. Jeffrey EpsteinAnd his consistent failure to show any remorse shows still less empathy for the girls and young women, including Giuffre, who were trafficked for the pleasure of Epstein and his associates. Propriety may demand that the prince and now former duchess of york They should leave their palatial residence here Royal Lodge For somewhere more modest (and away from the Windsor class). but andrew has one long lease On residence, and propriety is not something easily associated with the prince.
Another demand from some is that his status as a prince should be added to the extensive list of titles he has lost. But it is a birthright which cannot be snatched away so easily. Perhaps it should be noted that continental Europe is full of people with aristocratic titles by birth, whose only significance in real life is as relics of a bygone era. With the loss of his titles and his effective banishment from the king’s court, something similar would apply to Andrew, who would be ill-advised to move his dynasty rapidly towards obscurity like other disgraced or deposed royals before him.
However, to the extent that it remains in the spotlight, there must be a sense of proportion. Andrew was never heir to the throne, and is far from becoming one. With reference to the institution of EmpireWhatever may emerge about Giuffre and her relationship with Epstein, this scandal is not related to the abdication crisis or even the breakdown of the marriage of the then Prince of Wales and Princess Diana.
Using her renowned prudence, Elizabeth II did much to restore and defend the authority of the institution at home and abroad. How great an asset this is should be evident from the enthusiasm expressed by Donald Trump and the state visits by the French and US presidents earlier this year. german president Still to come – enhancing UK diplomacy.
This does not mean that Andrew’s real and alleged misdeeds do not result in any harm to the monarchy. The latest series of allegations are already distracting from this week’s historic event that will involve the king and the pope pray together In the Sistine Chapel – the first such event since the Reformation. It also has the effect of obscuring the good work done by other senior royals.
Distractions are one thing; The bigger risk is that the entire institution is corrupted. Support for the monarchy in Britain is not as strong as before, especially among the younger generation, where a recent poll showed 42 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds support the elected head of state. However, the positive news for the royals is the heavy hints being given by the heir to the throne, Prince WilliamThat he understands the need for change and intends to act on it.
It is believed that William was at the forefront of this move. chase away his uncle On the Epstein case, it went so far as to suggest that he would not be invited to his coronation. As a man who could be considered to have a better understanding of today’s sensibilities on sex trafficking and exploitation than many of his elders, William was said to be impatient with the way the allegations against Andrew were handled.
In a number of other ways – from his student years at the University of St Andrews, to his marriage to a “commoner” (how bizarre that word sounds now), to the way he and Katherine have tried to give their children a normal life, as well as his support for contemporary concerns such as mental health, homelessness and the environment – it may be possible to detect the tiniest glimpse of a more Dutch- or Scandinavian-style monarchy to come.
Of course, residents of Wales are miles away from the realities facing average Britons, from the wealth they inherit, to their multiple residences, to the choices they make about their children’s education. It is also fair to credit Queen Elizabeth with beginning to tone down the public face of the monarchy, a process that King Charles has continued, albeit perhaps more slowly than his successor. Looking back, the past week may have shown the monarchy turning its back on the unacceptable faces of the past and uniting with William as the face of the future. This is an option that will improve for some time, but does not necessarily guarantee its chances of survival.