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Prince Andrew ‘will not give up Royal Lodge’: Disgraced royal ‘is under pressure’ to switch 30-room mansion for smaller Frogmore Cottage, but sources say ex-home of Harry and Meghan is an ‘obvious step down’ and King ‘has no power to turf his brother out’
- Andrew moved into the Royal Lodge after the Queen Mother died in 2002
King Charles is said to have ‘no power’ to kick Prince Andrew out of his home at Royal Lodge in Windsor, and sources say the Duke has ‘no plans’ to vacate.
An insider claims the monarch will be unable to remove the disgraced royal from the property because his brother’s name is on the lease, not the royal family’s.
It has been reported that the Royal Lodge had been lined up for Prince William and Kate to move into.
But Andrew reportedly intends to honour the lease he signed in 2003 – which expires in 75 years – by refusing to move out of the £30million mansion.
This is despite alleged pressure from Buckingham Palace to move to Frogmore Cottage, a smaller residence on the Windsor estate previously lived in by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Sources close to Prince Andrew (pictured) claimed he will not vacate his home at Royal Lodge for Prince William and Kate and that the King has no power to remove him
Andrew moved into the luxury home following the death of the Queen Mother in 2002. He was granted the residence by his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II and lives there with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson
There is pressure from Buckingham Palace to move to Frogmore Cottage, a smaller residence on the Windsor estate previously lived in by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex
An insider, who is in regular contact with Andrew, told The Times: ‘The lease is in the duke’s name so no one can take that away from him.
‘It has never been suggested that it could be taken away from him. It’s a long lease with 80 to 90 years left on it.
‘This is a lease between him and the Crown Estate. That’s not a matter for the King. It’s a matter for the chancellor of the exchequer. The only way you could get him to move out would be through an arrangement — he would have to agree.’
A friend told the Mail On Sunday that Andrew is feeling down and ‘refusing to budge’ from the property, which is believed to have been set aside for the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children.
‘He is so fragile,’ the friend told the Mail. Reports have swirled that Andrew has been in low spirits and even reclusive.
‘He’s refusing to see anybody. This has been his family home for the past 20 years. Is it really sensible to kick him out?’
They added: ‘He’s concerned that now the Coronation is over, the knives are out. He’s worried that the royals might even turn off the utilities to get him out of there. But we’re dealing with human beings, not real estate.’
Prince Harry and Meghan previously live in Frogmore Cottage (pictured inside the cottage)
It is widely understood that Royal Lodge, once occupied by the Queen Mother, has been earmarked for Prince William and his family.
Andrew moved into the luxury home following the death of the Queen Mother in 2002.
He was granted the residence by his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II and lives there with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson.
Tom Bower, who has written biographies about the King and Prince Harry, told The Times: ‘I think the King is right. He’s got to slim down the number of houses in the royal portfolio and Andrew has got to come to terms with his fate. He can no longer live like a duke. Frogmore will be a cold shower for him, but he’s just got to take it.’
Bower added that Frogmore Cottage has five bedrooms — two fewer than Royal Lodge — and was an ‘obvious step down for the duke’.
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