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| Andrew: ‘Shamed’ |
To be fair to the Duke of York, the Queen’s second son, there were no complaints about his mission to Calcutta in March last year as in his capacity as a “special representative for British trade and investment”, which is the post he is giving up.
As a royal, Andrew did probably open many doors, especially in countries such as Saudi Arabia and former Soviet bloc states, perhaps even America, during his decade as a roving ambassador for British trade.
But in the end, Andrew, now 51, rubbed too many senor diplomats the wrong way with his allegedly high handed behaviour.
Simon Wilson, who was the ranking British diplomat in Calcutta until 2009, once said Andrew was widely known as “His Buffoon Highness” (HBH) instead of “His Royal Highness” (HRH).
Did the News of the World attempt to hack into Andrew’s mobile? The answer is not known but he must have been a tempting target.
What in the end proved fatal for Andrew were his links with a convicted paedophile in the United States.
Andrew will probably continue to undertake odd jobs here and there flying the flag for British business but the monarchy does not see him as part of its future plans. William and Kate, now the recently married Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, will have to take on the responsibility for ensuring the institution is revived and given a modern, fresh and clean look.
As part of that strategy, Kate’s wedding gown, designed by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen, will go on public display at Buckingham Palace from tomorrow, along with other items from the royal wedding such as the diamond tiara loaned for the marriage ceremony by the Queen.
In the kindest possible way, Andrew is being sidelined. His alleged womanising — he cannot shake off his nickname, “Randy Andy” — and weakness for flying first class all over the place with a staff of six – hence, he has been dubbed, “Air Miles Andy” – often embarrassed the royal family.
Of particular concern has been Andrew’s lack of judgment in befriending an American billionaire, Jeffrey Epstein, who was sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2008 for soliciting a minor for prostitution. There are fears that if some of the girls who claim they were abused by Epstein pursue further legal action, they might call Andrew as a witness.
The guillotine had to descend at some point and last night it came crashing down. The decision was probably taken by the Queen, who must probably despair at the behaviour of some of the younger members of her family.
A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: “The role as Special Representative will no longer exist as the Duke of York has decided to relinquish it after 10 years.”
Andrew will probably feel very upset that 10 years of hard graft, coping with detailed and often boring business briefs and doing his bit for UK plc, have all been forgotten because of a vengeful tabloid press.
The Daily Mail today listed some of his alleged scandals and said in a leader, “A Royal liability”, that “Prince Andrew’s decision to step down as ‘special representative’ can only be good news for the Royal Family – particularly as it’s basking in the reflected glory of Kate and William’s glittering first few months”.
The paper does not want him to be involved in any further trade missions. “To say some of his international contacts have been dubious would be a gross understatement.”
On his website, Andrew – he is currently on holiday in Canada with his two daughters – gave the impression that the decision to change his role was his. “As the evolution of my role continues apace and in order to reflect the changes I have outlined, I have decided that the label I gave myself when I began this role of Special Representative has served its purpose and is no longer necessary to the work that I do today and, more importantly, in the future.”
But even the royalist The Daily Telegraph punctured this self-regard with its headline: “Globe-trotting Duke drops trade role after years of criticism: controversial friendships soured position as roving envoy.”
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