Prince Andrew will have to step down if he fails to make some effort at repentance

When ‘Fergie’ disgraced herself and fell far from public favour a quarter of a century ago, she shed her royal status and became plain Sarah, Duchess of York. This could be a path of rehabilitation for the duke

How do you sack a prince?

In operational terms, the fate of Prince Andrew illustrates the operational procedure perfectly. A statement is issued from Buckingham Palace which states that His Royal Highness has withdrawn from public duties for the foreseeable future, and the Queen has given permission for him to do so. What little of the prince’s dignity is preserved, and the royal family hopes that it can move on.

No one, however, is fooled, and the widespread assumption is that he was forced out by a combination of the Queen, Prince Charles, palace advisers and, possibly, ministerial advice, is near enough to the mark. Just as surely as an idiot team leader on The Apprentice returning from some ill-judged adventure, only to be told “you’re fired!” by Lord Sugar, the Duke of York is being forced to pay for his misjudgements.