The Royal Family has had major controversies concerning its residences in the last few months. Firstly, the Sussexes were asked to leave Frogmore Cottage after spending several millions of pounds renovating it. This left Prince Harry and Meghan without a UK residence.
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Then, it appeared that, even though King Charles gained the throne in September 2022, the new monarch is reluctant to leave his long-time home of Clarence House. Indeed, it was reported that the monarch’s residence, Buckingham Palace, is not somewhere any royal wants to live.
Finally, King Charles has also had to deal with his little brother’s case… Prince Andrew, not fully in but not fully out, King Charles struggles to figure out what to do.
Royal Lodge, a disputed property
Royal Lodge, which sits in Windsor Great Park, has been at the centre of a controversy ever since Prince Andrew’s ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein came back to the surface.
If that wasn’t enough, Prince Andrew lost his Royal Highness title after his disastrous interview in 2019. At the time, it was reported that the Palace didn’t know that Prince Andrew was going to give this interview. Since then, Queen Elizabeth’s third child has been forbidden to carry out any public function and is therefore no longer a working royal.
All of this left both Prince Andrew and the Royal Family in a tricky spot. Is Andrew in or out? Well, he’s in between. However, for a few months now it seemed like King Charles wanted him out. No, not out of the Royal Family, but out of Royal Lodge where Andrew has lived for 20 years.
King Charles has tried to convince Prince Andrew to move into Frogmore Cottage but to no avail. Furthermore, it is believed that the King wants Prince William to move into Royal Lodge as he and his family live in a smaller residence in Windsor even though they have a bigger family and staff.
Now, in October 2023, it seems like King Charles and Prince Andrew have found a compromise.
Prince Andrew asked to pay if he wants to stay
According to Mirror, it appears that King Charles has given time to Prince Andrew to prove that he has the funds to maintain the residence. This is significant as Royal Lodge needs a lot of repairs, including an overall treatment of the house against dampness.
In his negotiation with his brother, Prince Andrew has argued that he has already been paying for renovations of Royal Lodge, including a £200,000 roof renovation. Now, it appears that King Charles is demanding that his brother show that he can come up with the £2 million required to carry out the necessary renovations.
While Prince Andrew has reportedly already spent £7,5 million on Royal Lodge in his 20 years there, since leaving his royal functions, his finances have taken a hit. Firstly, his royal pay of £250,000 a year has been cut following the Epstein scandal. Furthermore, it is reported that Prince Andrew has to pay £12 million to the woman who is accusing him of sexual assault.
So how will Prince Andrew show that he can sustain Royal Lodge and insure his stay at the residence?
Well, first of all, we do not know how much money Prince Andrew inherited from both his parents passing. However, we can assume that it should be a significant amount. Moreover, royal family members usually have multiple assets that they can dispose of. And finally, Mirror suggests that Prince Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, could be of help. Indeed, let’s not forget that Royal Lodge is also her place of residence.
Read more:
⋙ Sarah Ferguson: Shocking news for Prince Andrew’s ex-wife as former assistant found dead
⋙ Prince Andrew once again protected by royal protocol: 'Something is being hidden' claims expert
⋙ King Charles and Prince Andrew didn’t always have a strained relationship, here’s what we know
Sources:
Mirror: Charles allows disgraced Prince Andrew to stay at Royal Lodge after striking deal
Architectural Digest: Where Does King Charles Live? Inside Every Palace He’s Called Home
