King Charles loses patience with Prince Andrew after making several attempts to get him out of the Royal Lodge.
The now disgraced 64-year-old Duke of York has lived in the 30-room mansion on the Windsor estate with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson since 2003. The late Queen Elizabeth II offered him a 75-year lease on the property, at a notional rent of £260,000 a year, with the additional condition that he maintain the property.
After the Duke's public fall from grace over his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, the monarch wants him to move to a smaller, “more suitable” home, but the Duke has reportedly consistently refused to leave.
To achieve this, Charles has now withdrawn the £3m-a-year security he privately funded for his brother at the lodge, and staff have been told their contracts will not be renewed in October.
Andrew was reportedly given a fall deadline to vacate the property.
The Times claims the Duke is left with “only two possible options” – he will either have to pay for the lodge’s security costs himself or move to a smaller royal residence.
A source told the outlet: “[Andrew] takes longer than desirable to acknowledge the reality of the situation, even though [relocating] is clearly the most sensible course of action.”
Because the Duke was forced to step down as a working royal in 2019 and has never held a 'traditional' job, it is said he is unlikely to be able to pay security costs himself.
Although he receives a 'generous' private pension from the King in addition to his existing naval pension, this could also be withdrawn if he continues to refuse to leave the lodge.
According to Bloomberg, Prince Andrew's net worth in 2017 was around £5 million, one of the lowest amounts within the royal family.
The second option for a more suitable accommodation would be the more modest Frogmore Cottage. This cottage was recently renovated when it was still home to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Originally the property had ten bedrooms, but after renovation this was reduced to five.
The cottage has been empty since the couple were asked to leave it permanently last year after moving to California in 2020 after stepping down as working royals.
Frogmore Cottage would be a suitable alternative home for the Duke and his ex-wife, as it still benefits from the security of the Windsor estate.
However, reports say Andrew has repeatedly refused to move into the cottage, despite the King saying he would like to continue supporting him financially.
A source said The Times that the monarch plans to lease Royal Lodge privately for an estimated £1 million a year.
It is reported that the property is in dire need of repairs, which Andrew has not carried out.
“The king has been ruling for two years now and he wants the issue to be resolved,” an insider told the newspaper.
“It can be done neatly or sloppily. It can be done with grace and dignity or it can be forced upon him. It's all rather sad.
“But as things stand, life at Royal Lodge will become increasingly cold and uncomfortable for the Duke. The only question now is when he will realise that he has become a prisoner of his own pride.”
The Independent has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.
