Andrew could tarnish his late mother's reputation

The Prince Andrew scandal has spread its tendrils in every conceivable direction.

- ALEXANDER LARMAN

Questions have been asked about whether it is causing existential damage to the institution of the royal family, whether the King and the Prince of Wales, in particular, have done enough to stop the rot, and whether the likelihood that more incriminating Jeffrey Epstein emails will appear over the coming days and weeks means that the embarrassment will only get worse.

Yet amid the febrile speculation as to the repercussions of the former Duke of York’s actions - and with his voluntary decision to stop using his various titles, he remains decidedly persona non grata - it must be asked what would be happening if his late mother were still Queen.

Since her death in 2022, Elizabeth II has been sanctified as not only the greatest monarch that the country ever had, but as someone of remarkable acuity and perception when it came to running “The Firm”.

Most people point to her dignified but firm rebuttal of many of the charges of racism brought against the royals by Harry and Meghan, with the words “recollections may vary”, as having turned public sympathy against the Montecito Two. She restored the primacy of an institution that certainly faced its fair share of controversy and difficulty during her reign - Princess Margaret and Diana, Princess of Wales, for two - but which nevertheless rose above scandal thanks to her guiding influence.