Prince Andrew Refuses to Leave Royal Lodge
According to the Daily Mail, Prince Andrew is refusing to temporarily leave the Royal Lodge in Windsor out of fear he will be denied the opportunity to return. The same source added that the situation has become “grotesque” and that, although it would make sense for Prince Andrew to temporarily move to the more modest Frogmore Cottage the Duke and Duchess of Sussex recently left, Andrew fears the risk of being evicted permanently in the event he decides to leave Royal Lodge even momentarily.
Prince Andrew’s 75-Year Lease
Royal Lodge has been the home of Prince Andrew since 2003, when he would have signed a 75-year lease for the property. Since then he has spent about 7.5 million pounds on renovations to the property and rents it for 250 pounds a week. He currently lives there with his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, despite the couple divorcing in 1996. In recent months, rumors have circulated that King Charles III may ask his brother to leave the 30-room house in the context of the downsizing of the monarchy.
The King’s Support for the Duke of York
According to the Times at the beginning of this year Andrew would have “told friends” to maybe leave the Royal Lodge by September (although now it has been accepted that such timing is unlikely). An archive photo of the Royal Lodge in Windsor Castle, 1942 In any case, in May the Daily Mail claimed that the King would never force his brother to leave the property, as in that case the Crown Estate would have had to compensate him for the early termination of the 75-year lease. The newspaper also stated that the monarch currently helps the Duke of York manage his daily life, allowing meals to be sent to the Lodge directly from the kitchens of Windsor Castle (a practice reportedly started during the late Queen Elizabeth II’s reign), and allowing Castle staff to help Andrew with garden maintenance and household repairs. Previously, some media outlets had speculated that King Charles III was intending to cut financial support for Prince Andrew, which, according to reports, during Queen Elizabeth II’s reign amounted to around 249,000 pounds a year.
