In ancient Greek tragedy, it
was not uncommon for a god or goddess to perform the function of a Greek (i.e.,
conscience) chorus at the end of a play while being pulled by pullies high
above the stage. Deus ex machina is the Latin phrase, which meant, a
deity out from pullies. We get machine, mechanism, and even engine from the Latin
word, machina. A movie entitled Ex Machina is on an AI android
that seems full of life, even miraculous, from “pullies” inside it’s “body.” Ex-Prince
Andrew of the (seceded) sovereign state of UK, or “Britain” informally, seemed to
fly about the other actors in being able to land, rent-free, fittingly
around Christmas, 2025, at the monarch’s Sandringham estate in eastern Britain,
still rent-free, and with King Charles funding his brother. Considering that Andrew
Windsor should arguably been sent to prison for having sex with a 17 year-old
prostitute in the employ of the infamous Epstein, and that a large settlement paid
by Queen Elizabeth II made Giuffre’s charges go away, as if magically, Andrew
not only landed on his feet, but without touching the ground where us mere
mortals make our way through life to survive and perhaps prosper.
The state’s palace-office put
out a statement claiming that “royal sympathies are with the victims of abuse,
but if that were the case, the royal family could have acted more firmly . . .
Distancing themselves from Andrew is not the same as calling for
accountability.”[1] This
is not to imply that the royal family approved of Andrew’s behavior, not only
in allegedly illegally raping Giuffre or in allegedly having his police-guards
dig up dirt on her, but make no mistake, his soft landing wherein he actually
is allowed to remain comfortably in the air above us mere mortals does not divorce
him from the luxurious life of royalty. Even though Andrew has been accused of
using his public duties to enrich himself through his businesses, the King
announced that he would be funding his brother going forward even though
questions about “how, exactly, Andrew affords his lavish lifestyle” could
continue to be raised.[2]
When a prince himself, Charles
could be said to have abused Diana emotionally by serially subjecting her to
his rather blatant infidelity with Camilla. Additionally, the royal family
refused to get Diana help for her mental illness. So, it would not be
surprising were the King to actually have sympathy for his brother plagued by misdeeds
of his own. Birds of a feather fly together, even when they appear to
diverge publicly.
The Palace, I suspect, has
become very savvy in how to use brand management to shore up the reputation of
the royal family as well as the various actors therein. As one commentator
wrote, “Distinguishing Andrew from the rest of the royal family is Windsor
brand management after years of taint by association.”[3]
Such taint includes Prince Harry’s revelation that Prince William became
violent in attacking the younger brother because William was angry and disliked
Harry’s wife, a Californian and a former actress! So the Palace put out video
of William seemingly crying when listening to a subject’s sad story. The sudden
show of emotion from a guy who had otherwise looked staid and placid should
have raised questions of manipulation of the public. That William could become
king sooner rather than later due to his father’s ongoing treatment of cancer
(shown publicly in bloated, ruddy hands in photos) may have motivated the PR
offensive. Such actually-offensive manipulation is sadly typically missed on
the public anywhere. Dazzled perhaps by the rich and famous soaring above us,
we look up but strangely miss the sordid underbellies. Deus ex machina really
does seem to apply to royalty especially, even when accusations of squalid,
even illegal conduct are too strong to ignore. It seems that the human mind,
which is actually the brain, is too susceptible—too vulnerable—to being
manipulated by forces whose power reigns on the public airwaves. If only you
and I were as savvy as the rich and famous, accountability could be on the
horizon. If only. Surgite et ei adsequimini!
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
