Prince Andrew 'convinced' King wants him out of Royal Lodge 'so Queen can move in'
Pressure has grown on the Monarch to evict his brother from the mansion where he lives rent free
Prince Andrew is reportedly convinced the King wants to evict him from his Royal Lodge estate so the Queen can move in if she outlives him.
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The former Duke of York has refused to move out of the 30-room residence near Windsor Castle despite calls intensifying for him to go amid a series of scandals hanging over his head.
Andrew insists he has a 'cast-iron' lease on the Royal Lodge, meaning the King, his older brother, cannot boot him out by legal means.
Andrew has allegedly only paid just "one peppercorn (if demanded) per annum" while living at Royal Lodge, with estimates suggesting the market rate on the property could be in the region of £260,000 a year.
Pressure has also grown for the King to evict him following the publication of the posthumous memoir of Andrew’s sex accuser Virginia Giuffre, and the Prince’s close ties to ex-billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein, which prompted Andrew to give up his Duke of York title last week.
But Andrew allegedly believes the King is gunning to kick his brother out of the residence for another reason.
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Andrew and his daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie have told friends that the King wants Royal Lodge to be the Queen’s base in Windsor if she outlives him, according to the Telegraph.
This is the same arrangement that was in place for Queen Elizabeth II’s mother Queen Elizabeth, who resided in Royal Lodge when was widowed and left Windsor Castle.
The King’s aides strongly deny the allegation, the Telegraph reports, but the Prince is allegedly convinced by the theory which first emerged a year ago.
However, it is believed Queen Camilla will be more likely to opt for Ray Mill House in this scenario, a Grade II-listed family house in Wiltshire which she gained following her divorce settlement from her first husband Andrew Parker Bowles.
In fact, she chose the residence as the site of her official 78th birthday portrait. Meanwhile, the King bought the neighbouring the Old Mill estate in March to prevent it from becoming a wedding venue and limiting the Queen’s privacy.
Andrew signed a 75-year lease on his sprawling 98-acre home back in 2003, paying £1 million upfront and then agreeing to spend £7.5 million on renovations.
His lease details were made public by the Crown Estate - which hands its profits to the Treasury for the benefit of the nation's finances.
This has prompted questions over the body's handling of the grandiose estate, which could be examined by a parliamentary committee.
There is no break clause in the contract, which means King Charles cannot throw him out, despite having tried on numerous occasions to convince him to move.
On Thursday, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chairman of the Commons public accounts committee, said he will write to the Treasury and the Crown Estate Commissioners “seeking further information on the lease arrangements for Royal Lodge”.
The committee will pursue the matter depending on the answers given.
On Tuesday, Conservative MP and Shadow Home Secretary Robert Jenrick insisted that Andrew has embarrassed the royal family and should move out of the lodge.
Labelling the royal "embarrassing", he said that it was “about time” he “took himself off to live in private”, adding that he believed “the public are sick of him”.
In line with Jenrick's comments, senior Labour MP Dame Meg Hillier alluded to the fact that parliamentary committees could probe the Crown Estate’s handling of such living arrangements.
LBC has approached Buckingham Palace for comment.