In 2003, Prince Andrew signed a 75-year lease to Royal Lodge, located on the Windsor Estate. One of the stipulations for the Duke of York to maintain residence at the 30-room home was that he was responsible for upkeep the Grade II-listed home.
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This means that Prince Andrew is responsible for all repairs the home may need, in exchange for £250 weekly rent, as per Express. The Duke of York has sparked curiosity as he prepares a wave of repairs on the home he shares with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson.
It has been said that the staff at Royal Lodge are baffled at how the disgraced duke is paying for the current repairs. Moreover, as many know, King Charles is trying to evict his brother from Royal Lodge.
Prince Andrew preparing Royal Lodge for renovations
As reported by Mirror, Royal Lodge has been crumbling and is in dire need of repair. As mentioned above, one of the stipulations on Prince Andrew’s lease is that he is responsible for all repairs and renovations on the home.
If he fails to maintain its upkeep, he could face eviction. According to Express, Prince Andrew is preparing a £20,000 paint job on the exterior of Royal Lodge. Naturally, as it is an outside job, the Duke of York had to wait for better weather before starting renovations.
It has been reported that scaffolding and skips have been set up on the royal residence. A source told Express that the paint job is typically done ‘every five years’.
The exterior paintwork could only be looked at once the weather improved and that is a task usually conducted every five years.
They added that in 2023, Prince Andrew had the roof redone, which reportedly cost him a whopping £200,000.
Repairs to the roof were undertaken last summer, and the paintwork and windows will receive care and attention this year. Andrew is trying to keep within the terms of his lease.
Staff at Royal Lodge baffled by Prince Andrew’s finances
As per Express, Prince Andrew’s staff at Royal Lodge are allegedly baffled at how the Duke of York is able to pay for the renovations at the Grade II-listed home. The confusion arises as Prince Andrew has no formal income since he stepped down as a working royal.
As per an article from the BBC in 2022, when Prince Andrew was a full working member of the Firm, he used to receive around £250,000 per year, including the cost of running an office. However, that income stopped after he stepped down in 2019, following his dramatic Newsnight interview.
Nonetheless, Prince Andrew isn’t completely without income, as reported by BBC, he receives around £20,000 a year from his armed forces pension. Moreover, it was reported back in 2022, that the Duke of York made some extra money when he sold his luxury chalet in the Swiss ski resort of Verbier.
Indeed, Prince Andrew bought a luxury ski chalet in 2015 for over £8m with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. According to Daily Mail, the chalet sold for £19million.
A source told Express that Prince Andrew is ‘determined’ to remain at Royal Lodge as it is a ‘status symbol’ for him.
It’s a status symbol for him, the last real show of royal power he has left.
The only way he will leave that property is if he’s carried out in a wooden box.
King Charles is still trying to evict Prince Andrew
Since King Charles ascended the throne in September 2022, he has slowly been trying to evict Prince Andrew from Royal Lodge. According to royal author Tom Quinn, evicting Prince Andrew would be a ‘two birds one stone’ kind of situation.
Indeed, King Charles would allegedly like to move his brother to Frogmore Cottage, which used to be Prince Harry and Meghan’s UK residence until the King evicted them in January 2023. Tom Quinn told Mirror:
For King Charles, forcing Andrew to move to Frogmore solves several problems at once - it sends a message to Harry that, as a private citizen and no longer a working royal he will never be allowed back to Frogmore.
He also adds that for Prince Andrew, forcing him out of Royal Lodge shows him that he can’t continue to live in the ‘grand style’ he’s used to. He also explains that the ‘grand residence’ of Royal Lodge should go to ‘royals who really matter’:
And, finally, it means that a suitably grand residence can be made ready for the royals who really matter William and Kate. Charles is determined that Royal Lodge is the only residence on the royal estate at Windsor that is big enough and regal enough for his heir.
Two years ago, Prince William and Princess Kate decided to move away from London, leaving Kensington Palace and moving closer to Windsor. The Royal couple chose Adelaide Cottage as their new home.
As mentioned above, it is believed that King Charles wants his eldest son to have a home fit for his status, meaning the 30-room Grade II-listed building, Royal Lodge. However, Prince Andrew has continuously refused any offers to move out.
A royal insider told The Times that King Charles’ ‘kindness is not without limit’ and he has offered his brother plenty of good options for a new home. Moreover, Frogmore Cottage is located within the Windsor Castle security, meaning the Duke of York won’t have to worry about employing more security if he were to move to Frogmore.
The royal insider told The Times:
The King's kindness is not without limit and there is a very good option for Andrew to move into Frogmore Cottage, recently vacated by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, which also has the benefit of being within the Windsor Castle security cordon hence reducing the need for alternative round-the-clock security for Royal Lodge.
Read more:
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Sources used:
Mirror: ‘King Charles ‘solves Prince Harry and Prince Andrew problems’ in one decisive move’
The Times: ‘Prince Andrew, the King and the ‘siege of Royal Lodge’
Express: ‘Prince Andrew leaves royal aides baffled as he splashes cash despite 'no income'
Mirror: ‘Prince Andrew's crumbling Royal Lodge in desperate need of repair - and it could spark a new row’
BBC: ‘Prince Andrew: Where does he get his money from?’
Express: ‘Prince Andrew begins repairs on Royal Lodge as he's 'determined to keep it at any cost'
Daily Mail: Prince Andrew finally sells Swiss ski chalet to British family for £19m after more than a year of wrangling over 'business debt'
