But time has a knack for redistributing reputations. Carlos saw many of his flags validated – especially environmental ones – and, as king, he revealed a wisdom that few recognized in him. The country reconciled with Camilla, Diana’s wound healed enough and the monarchy found a possible balance.
André, on the contrary, fell into a bottomless abyss, after being accused of sexually abusing a 17-year-old girl who had been introduced to him (or better said, trafficked) by Jeffrey Epstein: he lost his titles, he lost his house, he lost the benefit of the doubt. And now he has lost his freedom, detained on suspicion of malfeasance in the exercise of his duties as special envoy for British Commerce. The prince became a commoner. Andrew became Andrew.
There are at least three lessons that this episode leaves open to the naked eye.
The first is that Jeffrey Epstein was not just a sexual predator: he was an engineer of influence and, most likely, an asset of one or more spy agencies. He built a web of sensitive information collection based on the sexual exploitation of minors, to compromise powerful figures. And few prey would be as valuable as a member of the most influential royal family on the planet, with privileged access to governments, royal houses, great fortunes and even Chinese leader Xi Jinping. How many other powerful figures, in the United States and Europe, were in Epstein’s “hands”?
The second lesson is that the British monarchy, so often accused of immobility, knew how to act with surgical coolness. Since Charles ascended the throne, the message has been unequivocal: no one is above the law. The distance from his brother was quick, public and necessary. Still, the case leaves marks and Republicans have gained arguments to attack the institution. Furthermore, there will be no shortage of people asking whether the British authorities were really unaware of the contents of the Epstein case files that have now been revealed.
The third lesson is perhaps the most uncomfortable: whether you like the British monarchy or not, it is difficult to imagine a similar outcome in other political geographies. In how many republics would we see a president’s brother arrested on suspicions of this nature? The question is not rhetorical. In many ways, the British monarchy continues to be more democratic than most republics around the world, despite the privilege that is increasingly difficult to justify and the influence that its members continue to have, especially behind the scenes of politics and economic power.
In the end, the irony remains: Andrew lost his title, lost his translated name and lost the protection of the myth. What remains is just this: a man faced with the consequences, and a monarchy forced to prove that the crown is not a shield.
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