After the arrest of former prince Andrew, The Mirror’s Royal Editor Russell Myers says it is time for The Firm to start operating like a business to secure its future and prove to the public it is fit for purpose
The royal family must change course and start running like a business to survive(Image: Getty Images)
As the sun sets on the week that was, just where do the royal family start to pick up the pieces?
The extraordinary image of a former prince, stripped of titles, homes and dignity, slouched in the back of a car with the stark gaze of a man who had entered a parallel universe. Yes Andrew, that’s what the real world looks like. A place where privilege and entitlement should be no match for consequence.
Even if there is no further action on the allegations of misconduct in a public office that he was arrested on this week, the result of his disgrace and terminal exile from public life is a life sentence in itself. In nearly a decade of covering the life and times of the British monarchy, I have seen enough controversy and quaralling to last a lifetime.
And if I have learned one thing, it is certainly not to make predictions about what the future holds for this family. But let us for one moment look at what the family must at least attempt to do to move on from this sorry mess.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is under investigation for misconduct in a public office after being arrested at on the King’s Sandringham estate (Image: Getty Images)
Firstly, the King has made two extraordinary statements in as many weeks. Calls for a public address at this stage are much as misguided as it is unlikely.
Despite his very public disgrace, Andrew stands accused of numerous allegations, arrested on one case and neither charged nor convicted of any. As the monarch clearly stated this week, “the law must take its course”.
His exit from royal life has been underlined by the government that will create legislation to remove the former Duke of York from the line of succession, at the conclusion of any police investigations.
And while there may be calls for a public inquiry into Andrew’s conduct, as former top royal cop Dai Davies called for in The Mirror, the institution must instigate its own.
Former head of royal protection Dai Davies has called for a public inquiry into the former Duke of York’s conduct(Image: North Devon Journal)
As I revealed in my book, ‘William and Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story’, published this week, the Prince of Wales had the foresight in 2019 – and arguably even earlier – following Andrew’s Newsnight interview to predict his uncle was a problem.
The motivation was not purely to get rid of a problem, but to remove Andrew “before the rot set in”. What we have seen in recent months with further numerous disturbing allegations and connections to the sickening world of Jeffrey Epstein has further exposed a wound that has been festering for 15 years since this scandal began.
Prince William warned King Charles and the late Queen Elizabeth II about exiling Andrew “before the rot set in”, according to Russell Myers’ new book(Image: Getty)
The Prince and Princess of Wales relayed their “deep concern” at the continued revelations, days before Andrew’s arrest. We are now told they support the King’s statements, which is so obvious it insult’s one’s intelligence. For a collective once dubbed The Firm, it’s about time it starts running like a proper business.
William has moved to do this in his own department. The recent search for a CEO, the way in which he organises his charity endeavours, the talk of “scale” and “impact” from his palace aides is straight out a Management 101 handbook. This is more about accountability. William never cared for his uncle’s pompous attitude to staff or the way he cared for no one but himself.
The sight of Andrew in the back of a Range Rover with the look of a rabbit in headlights will not evoke sympathy from many. Undoubtedly the royals find themselves picking up the pieces after an incredible series of events, but they must ignore the critical calls or the winds of change.
The King and his heir must now unite to not only protect their own futures, but to ensure the public that the institution has a mission that serves all, and not simply the interests of a protected few.