It was essential that Prince Andrew lost his titles

Britain is still very much in need of a monarchy, and the purging of Prince Andrew will help it to continue its important role, says Anthony Seldon

Prince Andrew, of course, had to lose his title as Duke of York. It is a total humiliation, the final end of him ever returning to favour as a figure of credit.

The constant bad headlines over the years had reached a climax with fresh revelations about him carrying on being in touch with disgraced paedophile Jeffrey Epstein longer than he claimed, the forthcoming memoirs from Virginia Giuffre in which the author, who tragically took her own life, adds to her claims about him that he had sex with her when she was 17 as if he was “entitled”, and continued stories of his finances and links to Chinese espionage circles. This all came to a head in the week before the King and Queen were due to travel to see Pope Leo at the Vatican.

Prince Andrew’s statement, in which he makes no apologies, nor admissions of guilt on any kind, tries to give him the last vestiges of dignity in claiming it was his decision. His statement was a very significant error. He had the opportunity to apologise for all the hurt and harm he had caused, to express humility, and to show that he has learnt.

His assertion that it was his own decision condemns him: we all know that it came as the result of heavy and sustained pressure from many parts of the royal family and beyond. It is unlikely in his lifetime that he will ever have a similar opportunity to show contrition. The royal family is all about service. He has totally lost his way, probably never to find it.

The stories about him will no doubt continue, but without the same ability to damage and distract the working royals who are doing their best for the country, despite two of them, the King himself and the Princess of Wales, suffering from cancer.

Charles III has been far more successful than many predicted at carving out his own distinctive role for a 21st-century monarchy, when many thought he would never escape the shadow of his mother, Elizabeth II, or avoid being tarnished by being inappropriately political on the issues he feels deeply about. The recent visit of President Trump to the UK – which might never have happened had it just been an invitation from the prime minister – is the most recent example to show the continuing relevance of the royal family.

Indeed, the turbulence in Downing Street, which shows no signs of ending, and extends into the financial, political and social spheres, highlights the need for a still point in the British Constitution. The monarchy is often taken for granted: the country would feel very different today without it, or with a partisan head of state. It was utterly essential for the monarchy to purge itself of Andrew.

Finally, though, a word about Andrew himself. His appalling and disgraceful actions, self-centredness and entitlement have brought about his end this week as a public figure. But we should not forget there is another side to his character, about which little is heard. He struggled to carve out a role for himself, but he was far from all bad. His qualities have never come out more than as a father to his two daughters. One wonders about his own parenting and why more had not been done to imprint in him that profound sense of duty that his own two parents displayed.

Anthony Seldon’s new book ‘The Path of Light: Walking to Auschwitz’ is published on 30 October