In a growing family feud, King Charles and Prince Andrew are reportedly at odds over the latter’s residence at Royal Lodge.
This longstanding dispute has intensified as Andrew faces the financial implications of losing his annual £1 million allowance, leaving many to question how he will maintain the upkeep of his expansive Windsor home.
It has been suggested that the King prefers his brother to vacate the lavish 30-room mansion in favor of the more modest Frogmore Cottage.
Recent photographs of Royal Lodge have raised concerns, revealing black mould, cracks, and peeling paint. Prince Andrew is said to have signed a 75-year lease for the property in 2003 and remains determined to stay put.
According to an updated version of the book Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story, author Robert Hardman cites a source explaining how Andrew claims he will pay for his home despite his allowance being axed.
The source tells the author: “He claims to have found other sources of income related to his contacts in international trade, sufficient to cover all his costs – which would be a welcome outcome for all parties if that turns out to be the case. But as to whether this funding can be relied upon in the long term is another matter.”
Since 2004, Andrew has lived at Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate, which he now shares with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. Royal Lodge dates back to the mid-17th Century but it wasn’t until the mid-1930s that it got its first royal residents. In 1931, it was gifted to George VI and the Queen Mother – the then Duke and Duchess of York – as a weekend retreat.
Following the Queen Mother’s death, Royal Lodge was leased to Prince Andrew. Along with the main house, the lease included the Gardener’s Cottage, the Chapel Lodge, six Lodge Cottages, police security accommodation, and a whopping 40 hectares of land. He was required to pay for any renovations himself, which reportedly were in the region of £7.5 million.
In 2004, he then moved into Royal Lodge with his two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, and soon after, his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson moved in after signing a 75-year lease.
