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Prince Andrew faces fresh humiliation over a ‘quite impossible’ problem amid his Royal Lodge row. The Duke of York has recently been involved with a dispute with King Charles over the £30 million property.
He lives at the 30-room Berkshire mansion in Windsor Great Park. Andrew is understood to have signed a 75-year lease on the mansion with the Crown Estate in 2003.
But the dad-of-two has reportedly been struggling to cover the huge £400,000 a year upkeep costs. The manor’s sprawling 21-acre gardens are said to have become a ‘state’, which could become quite impossible’ to tackle.
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Todd Longstaffe-Gowan, gardener at Historic Royal Palaces, told the Mail: “It is in a shocking state. I won’t be knocking that into shape! It is impossible! I’ve been at Kensington Palace for 30 years and I think Royal Lodge would be quite impossible.”
The Queen Mother previously lived at grade II listed property, AberdeenLive reports. It is said to include a gardeners’ cottage, six lodge cottages and a Chapel Lodge.
Andrew is understood to be reluctant to move from the home, where his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson also lives. He wants to eventually leave the property to his daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
Last year, it was reported that the Duke secured funds from an unnamed source to remain in Royal Lodge. This is despite Charles insisting his younger brother move to a smaller property, such as Frogmore Cottage – which once belonged to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
According to royal expert Emily Andrews, the King stands to secure a financial uplift by renting out the property through the Crown Estate if Andrew opts to leave. Speaking on Channel 5’s The Battle for Royal Lodge: Andrew vs Charles, she said: “It is a stand-off that I don’t see nearing any kind of resolution.
“I think Andrew will want to remain at Royal Lodge for as long as he possibly can.” But if Andrew leaves, the property could potentially become the residence of two other royals.
According to expert Jennie Bond, it would ‘seem to be a very suitable place in the future for the Prince and Princess of Wales’.
