Fiery Prince Andrew, King Charles spat claim: ‘Desk-pounding’

Details of an explosive blow-up between the royal brothers have been laid bare in a stunning new claim.

Prince Andrew and King Charles reportedly had a massive argument.

IN LONDON

King Charles and Prince Andrew’s recent tension over royal housing has been well documented, but their biggest blow-up may have unfolded more than a decade ago.

Christopher Andersen, author of The King, has revealed the pair were caught up in a “desk-pounding shouting match” over Charles’ suggestion to downgrade the royal status of Andrew’s daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, in a bid to streamline the monarchy.

The incident, as Andersen explained to Fox News Digital, occurred in 2008, years before the Duke of York’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein saw him forced to step down from public duties.

“Charles floated the idea that several Windsor offspring be demoted, stripped of their HRH standing, have their royal protection taken away, and, most revolutionary of all, kicked off the royal payroll,” Andersen claimed.

“Prince Andrew fought these proposals that would have resulted in his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie each being forced to earn their own living and downgraded from ‘Princess’ to ‘Lady,’ a suggestion that was shouted down in an angry confrontation between him and Charles.”

Andrew was furious at the suggestion that his daughters could be demoted. Picture: Justin Tallis/AFP

According to the royal author, Andrew was furious and decided to “throw a fit.”

“By all accounts, it was a literal battle royale, a desk-pounding shouting match between the two brothers, both known for their volatile tempers,” Andersen alleged.

“Keep in mind that this was years before Andrew’s involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein sex abuse scandal essentially forced the king to put Andrew out to pasture.”

He went on to point out the irony in the fact the sisters have stepped up this year to help their uncle out as he and the Princess of Wales both undergo treatment for cancer.

“It is ironic that now, with the king and Princess Kate battling cancer, they are proving indispensable to the king,” Andersen said.

“Charles certainly must be glad that he didn’t go through with his plan to have them phased out. … Ironically, Prince Andrew and Fergie are out in the cold, but their two daughters are still very much in the royal thick of things.”

Details of the brothers’ fiery blow-up comes amid their ongoing standoff over the King’s unsuccessful attempts to evict Andrew from his palatial, 30-room mansion within the royal estate in Windsor.

The Duke of York’s living arrangements – namely, his residency at the Royal Lodge – has been under scrutiny since the fallout of the Epstein scandal.

The pair are reportedly at loggerheads over Andrew’s living arrangements. Picture: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

It was first reported last year that Charles wanted Andrew to leave the sprawling property, where he’s lived since 2004, and downgrade to a smaller royal home – but that Andrew was staunchly refusing to go.

However, the King’s younger brother is reportedly unable to afford the more than $750,000 annual cost of upkeep for the “crumbling” Lodge, which is understood to be falling into disrepair.

In June, palace sources claimed that the King – who is funding Andrew’s post-royal life – could “reconsider the levels of support he is willing to provide” if his younger brother continues to reject his request.

The housing debacle has reportedly been dubbed by insiders as the “siege of Royal Lodge”.

The complex stand-off between the pair is worsened by the fact that Andrew does in fact still hold the 75-year lease on the property – but Charles controls the purse strings.

“As things stand, life at Royal Lodge is set to become increasingly cold and uncomfortable for the duke,” a source told the publication.

“The only question now is when he will realise that he has become a prisoner of his own pride – and that handing back the keys will afford him far greater comfort, and the continued support of his family.”

The Lodge reportedly requires an estimated £2 million (A$3.8 million) total in restorations. Andrew has reportedly already spent $380,000 on roof repairs as an “interim payment”.