Prince Andrew 'refusing to leave' 30-room royal mansion, and fears royal family could 'turn off the lights' to force him out
14 May 2023, 08:00 | Updated: 14 May 2023, 09:14
Prince Andrew is refusing to leave his royal residence in the grounds of Windsor Castle, but fears the royals could "turn off the utilities" to force him out.
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Andrew has lived in the Royal Lodge, which has a 98-acre estate, since 2003, when he secured a 75-year lease.
But King Charles wants him to move to Frogmore Cottage, the former home of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The King has cut Andrew's £250,000 per year allowance, meaning his brother may no longer have the money to keep up his mansion.
The Royal Lodge has been earmarked for Prince William and Kate Middleton, along with their three children.
But Andrew does not want to leave his home of 20 years, where he lives with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.
One friend told the Mail: "He is so fragile. He’s refusing to see anybody. This has been his family home for the past 20 years. Is it really sensible to kick him out?
"He’s concerned that now the Coronation is over, the knives are out. He’s worried that the Royals might even turn off the utilities to get him out of there. But we’re dealing with human beings, not real estate."
Andrew's daughters with Ms Ferguson, Beatrice and Eugenie, are regular visitors to the Royal Lodge.
Another friend said: ‘Eugenie is heavily pregnant and her parents expect to have the new grandchild there this summer.‘Don’t forget that Sarah has been the glue holding the family together through this nightmare.’
Andrew's refusal to leave has set him on a collision course with Charles, and the Duke is said to be pushing for showdown talks with his brother.
One said: ‘If Charles wants Andrew to play ball and help the family through these difficult times, aren’t there better ways of going about it?‘Why not do the decent thing, sit down and talk?
"If they need the house for William, perhaps Andrew should be told. Perhaps William should invite his uncle for tea and explain.
"Or why doesn’t Charles invite his brother for a meeting and ask him if he’d leave Royal Lodge to help his nephew and the future of the monarchy? And agree a schedule acceptable to both sides.‘Is a little decency so difficult? There are real people at the heart of all this.
"He’s just lost his mother. Who, straight after that, would want to be evicted by his brother?’
After his income was slashed, The Duke of York will now only have his navy pension to rely on, with business investments not delivering much income.
But the King would not let his brother become homeless, a royal insider said earlier.
"This is about Charles telling Andrew he can use his own money to pay for things," a source close to the monarch said.
“The same goes for other members of the family, such as Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
“And while there is leniency with working members of the family, who have offices funded by the Sovereign Grant, there have been other examples.”
The source added: “Charles doesn’t feel he should pay for the upkeep of ponies to pull the carriage.
“He knows the public won’t want to see money wasted — particularly in the current climate.”
What's next for Prince Andrew?
Ms Ferguson, who has been living with Andrew in the Royal Lodge since 2008, bought a £5 million house in Mayfair, in west London, but this is unlikely to be suitable for Andrew's horses and dogs.
Andrew was kicked out of Buckingham Palace after the Queen died, and stripped of taxpayer-funded armed police guard, although the King agreed to pay for private security.
The Duke also had a house, Sunninghill in Berkshire, as a wedding present from the Queen, but had later sold it to the billionaire son-in-law of the Kazakh president for £15 million.
