Prince Andrew won’t quit Royal Lodge unless Charles can make him agree
King Charles has no power to turf his brother out of Royal Lodge, his home for 20 years, so the decision may come down to the chancellor of the exchequer.
The Duke of York has no intention of leaving his home at Royal Lodge, Windsor, and believes the king has no power to turf him out, one of his close associates has said.
Prince Andrew, who has lived at the 30-room mansion for 20 years, is believed to be under pressure from Buckingham Palace to move to Frogmore Cottage, a smaller residence on the Windsor estate previously lived in by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
The associate, who is in regular contact with Andrew, said the duke believed that he was secure in the property because his name, not the royal family’s, was on the lease with the Crown Estate.
“The lease is in the duke’s name so no one can take that away from him,” the source said. “It has never been suggested that it could be taken away from him. It’s a long lease with 80 to 90 years left on it.
“This is a lease between him and the Crown Estate. That’s not a matter for the king. It’s a matter for the chancellor of the exchequer. The only way you could get him to move out would be through an arrangement – he would have to agree.”
The Crown Estate describes itself as a public body sitting outside government. Its board is appointed by the king on the recommendation of the prime minister from candidates vetted by a selection board that includes the Treasury.
Prince Andrew’s associate said there was “no foundation” to reports this week that he could be pressured into leaving by actions such as cutting off his electricity supply.
The source said the king was unlikely to exert pressure on Andrew because it would not make him a “very popular person within the family”. They added: “There are other members of the family who would not want to see a member kicked out.”
Andrew stepped back indefinitely from royal duties in 2019 after a poorly received Newsnight interview in which he failed to offer sympathy to victims of his friend, Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender.
In March last year he paid an undisclosed sum, thought to be about £3 million ($5.6 million), to Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of having sex with her after Epstein trafficked her. Andrew denied the accusations.
Tom Bower, who has written biographies about King Charles and Prince Harry, said Andrew’s name being on the lease would not provide cast-iron protection. “What the King is saying is he won’t pay for the maintenance,” Bower said.
“All crown leases have termination clauses, for example if you’re not paying for upkeep in a way they think desirable. So I would think the lease won’t protect him for ever. They can always say the paintwork isn’t good enough. That’s how he can be winkled out.”
Bower suggested that upkeep for the house and surrounding land would cost £1 million, even without taking staffing costs into consideration. He said: “I think the king is right. He’s got to slim down the number of houses in the royal portfolio and Andrew has got to come to terms with his fate. Frogmore will be a cold shower for him, but he’s just got to take it.”
Andrew’s income is opaque. Before Queen Elizabeth died he was thought to have an annual stipend of £250,000, augmented by a £20,000 pension from the Royal Navy. The late queen’s legacy for the man often described as her favourite son is undisclosed.
The source suggested Andrew’s finances were secure, adding: “I’m sure the queen would have left a legacy for him.” Reports of him being reclusive were wide of the mark, the source added. “His life has changed with not having any royal duties any more so that means he doesn’t have to have certain staff. What people don’t understand is that this is a guy who doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke, has never taken drugs. He goes to bed early and he gets up early. He’s very regimented. This is not what the readers of the Daily Mail would like to hear because the honest truth doesn’t sell newspapers.”
Asked whether Andrew was considering a move to Frogmore Cottage, the source said: “If I was a member of that family and I had a pick, I would pick Royal Lodge any day of the week. He’s very privileged to live in Royal Lodge.”
The source was sceptical whether Andrew would make a return to public life as “he can’t do anything without the king’s say so”.
The duke sold a chalet in Verbier, Switzerland, in December for a reported £19 million, although much of the proceeds are thought to have gone towards repaying a £1.6 million debt owed to the previous owner and to fund his settlement with Giuffre.
Bower said that although Frogmore Cottage had five bedrooms, two fewer than Royal Lodge, it was an obvious step down for Andrew. “The living room and kitchen are pretty poky if you’re used to living in a palace,” he said.
The Times
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