Moving out of the Royal Lodge is practically a done deal for Prince Andrew. According to a biographer, the Duke of York, 64, who resides at the Windsor, England, mansion with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, it’s “better” Andrew “disappear” from public view altogether and take whatever King Charles III offers him in the way of other housing.
Andrew’s lived in the Royal Lodge since the early 2000s after signing a 75-year lease through the Crown Estate. Now, King Charles reportedly wants his brother out of the property that was once home to their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
Andrew, however, wants to stay despite mounting costs to maintain the property and private security, which King Charles reportedly now refuses to pay for. (The home is said to be outside the police protection area covering Windsor Castle and its surrounding area.)
Speaking to The Sun’s Royal Exclusive web show, royal author Robert Jobson said Andrew will almost certainly have to vacate the property.
“I think he’ll have to leave Royal Lodge,” he said (via Newsweek). “[The] bottom line is it needs a lot of static security. It’s not a lodge, it’s a palace. It’s too big for him and Fergie to live in.”
“His argument is that he’s spent a lot of money on renovations . And he’s got a long contract signed off by the queen [Elizabeth II] for him to stay there. But the reality is he can’t really afford it. And also long term, what is the point? What’s he trying to achieve? I don’t really understand.”
A previous report claimed Andrew wants his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugiene, to take over Royal Lodge lease. “The king, you know, is now the king. He’s got his son. William is the next in line. Andrew’s now further away from any real realization,” Jobson continued.
He’s currently eight in the royal family’s line of succession behind William and his three children and Prince Harry and his two children. “He’s not working royal anymore. And I think he’s probably got to realize that he can’t really go around saying, ‘I’m Queen Elizabeth’s second son, I’m very important.’”
“He’s not that important anymore. And I think that if the king is gonna be generous enough to offer him somewhere else to live at a much a subsidized rent, or even free, then he should take it.”
For the king’s part, Jobson shared he’s probably “looking at this, and it’s a bad look. The press won’t leave the story alone. It’s one that keeps coming back. I think mainly because his people are briefing on it, but the reality is he [Andrew] doesn’t want to really leave.”
Things will, the author explained, lead to Andrew being financially “exposed, and I think that financially, it’s probably best for him to sort of just disappear.”
Noting Andrew’s “seen around Windsor a lot,” Jobson argued the duke being seen in public less would help the royal family after his connection to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“Let’s not get away from the fact that the Epstein story is, in terms of public relations, an absolute disaster for the king and the royal family because it’s just one of the worst things you can have. That’s why he’s no longer working royal. Yet he doesn’t seem to get it.”
So, what’s going to become of the Royal Lodge? Where will Andrew land? Buckingham Palace hasn’t answered either of those questions publicly. According to reports, however, the battle over the property could play out in a few different ways.
One possibility is that Andrew could downsize. The duke is said to have been offered options for smaller royal homes. One of them is Frogmore Cottage, the former U.K. Home of Prince Harry and Meghan Markell. By living there, Andrew would get police security as it falls within the palace’s police ring. In turn, that would mean no costly private security bill.
According to The Mirror, King Charles has also offered his brother Craigowan Cottage. Located on the Balmoral estate in Scotland, the seven-bedroom home used to belong to Queen Elizabeth II.
