Why King Charles can’t evict Prince Andrew out of Royal Lodge
A public feud over Prince Andrew’s refusal to leave Royal Lodge has left King Charles losing his patience, but the truth is, the King can’t kick him out.
It’s the issue that’s been unfolding within the royal family over the past year — Prince Andrew refusing to leave his home at Royal Lodge.
King Charles is said to have wanted his brother out of the house for years and relocate to Frogmore Cottage, a smaller home vacated by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
But the Duke of York, who moved into the 30-bedroom mansion in 2004, has refused to move, after taking on a “cast-iron lease” that lasts until 2078.
The drama over the $57 million mansion has led to a public feud between the brothers, with Charles reportedly losing his patience over the matter.
It does raise questions.
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Does Charles have the power to evict Andrew out of Royal Lodge?
“King Charles doesn’t directly have the authority to evict Prince Andrew, although it’s very clear that he probably would like to”, Bronte Coy, Senior Entertainment Reporter at news.com.au said.
“Royal Lodge is part of the Crown Estate. They are managing what needs to be done for Prince Andrew to stay there.
“They have made it clear that there is an amount that needs to be paid every single year in maintenance and upkeep.
“Prince Andrew needs to be able to pay those in order to be able to stay in Royal Lodge.”
Ms Coy said Andrew’s 75-year lease is granting him significant legal protection to stay at the property.
“It’s the reason he’s actually very difficult to evict because he does have that really long-term lease,” she said.
“But it all does really hinge on him being able to make the payments that are needed to keep it going because it’s outside the remit of royal properties whereby taxpayer money can be used to fund some of those maintenance and upkeep costs.
“Royal Lodge doesn’t have any taxpayer money, therefore needs to be paid for by whoever’s living there.”
Why does Charles want Andrew to downsize to a smaller home?
Ms Coy said part of the reason why Charles is keen to have Andrew move out of Royal Lodge is because “it’s not a good look” to have a non-working royal living in a massive home.
“It’s a 30-room property and only Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, live there,” she said.
“He doesn’t work for the monarchy. He doesn’t do any type of work for the country at all.
“It is just not a good look to have a non-working royal parked in a 30-room home.”
She continued: “Prince Andrew’s reputation is terrible. The public don’t like him.
“People don’t have any sympathy towards him staying there. They don’t want him there.
“They feel that he should be made to move into another home.”
What does the future hold for the brothers?
Ms Coy said that Charles may have accepted that Andrew will stay at his home and has taken steps to mend their relationship.
“We often see King Charles trying to bring Andrew in for that family occasion,” she said.
“I do think he has a strong sense of family and will continue to try to maintain it.
“It remains to be seen. For now it looks like the King has possibly just accepted that Prince Andrew will be staying in Royal Lodge.
“Maybe he’s just making his peace with it and that will help their relationship move into the future.”
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Originally published as Why King Charles can’t evict Prince Andrew out of Royal Lodge
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