The World Wildlife Fund’s Spain branch has ousted King Juan Carlos as its honorary president after deciding that his recent elephant hunting safari trip was incompatible with the goal of conserving endangered species.

The news is welcome as it sends out a strong message. The fund said in a statement that "although such hunting is legal and regulated" it had "received many expressions of distress from its members and society in general." It said members voted at a meeting Saturday in Madrid to "to get rid of the honorary President" by a substantial majority of 226 votes to 13. The Royal Palace declined immediate comment on the announcement – what can it say?

This all boils down to accountability, transparency and common decency. The King held the post since 1968 and many Spaniards were dumbfounded when news broke in April that the king had made a secret journey to hunt elephants in Botswana even though it was widely known he was president of the Spanish branch of the fund.

What was even worse was that Spain only learned of the trip when the King had to be flown back to receive emergency medical treatment for a broken hip he suffered during a fall while on the trip.

Not only were the people of Spain deceived, but the whole issue angered them because while the country was wracked by economic problems, the trip was an opulent indulgence. The further expense of a private jet being used to transport him home angered people further.

A sheepish King Juan Carlos apologised, saying as he left the hospital: "I am very sorry. I made a mistake. It won't happen again." To make amends, the king decided to take a pay cut in solidarity with civil servants who are to lose their traditional Christmas bonuses as part of the government's most recent austerity drive.

The salaries of Juan Carlos and Crown Prince Felipe will be reduced about 7 % — to about 272,000 euros and 131,000 euros respectively — in line with government policy, the Royal Palace said.

But it does not alter the fact that the King was given a title he did not deserve. We have seen things like this happen time and time again. ‘Personalities’ are given titles, honorary presidencies and more – and half the time, they are the people that least deserve them.

It happens everywhere – but it stings when people are made figure heads of ‘good cause’ organisations – only to then behave in direct contradiction to what they have been trusted to uphold and represent.

The WWF reacted strongly, and perhaps it is a lesson for all others to learn in the appointment of goodwill ambassadors and the like.