Prince Andrew has ‘serious delusions of grandeur’ in refusing to downsize from £30m Royal Lodge – which played host to the grandest of members over the years – as it’s the ‘last bit of status he has’, say royal experts

Prince Andrew has ‘serious delusions of grandeur’ by refusing to downsize from the Royal Lodge, according to experts.  

The Duke of York, 64, has been embroiled in scandal upon scandal over the years, leading to him being stripped of his royal and military titles and being ousted as a working royal. 

King Charles, 76, reportedly wants his younger brother out of the lavish 30million Royal Lodge, which has been in the family for centuries, and instead living at Frogmore Cottage, the former residence of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. 

Located in the leafy countryside surrounded by greenery, the Royal Lodge, which Prince Andrew shares with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, is just three miles from Windsor and 25 miles from London. 

But moving Andrew hasn’t been easy, as a 75-year contract signed in 2003 means that he can continue living there, as long as he can afford the cost of upkeeping the 30-room mansion. 

A new Channel 5 documentary set to be released on Saturday, The Battle for Royal Lodge: Andrew vs Charles, delves into the history behind the house, along with the battle between the brothers for occupation of it.

The show interviews numerous royal experts, historians and architects who have discussed their opinions on Andrew and why he is attempting to cling onto the grand manor, which they described as ‘the last bit of status he has’.

Speaking of Andrew’s potential move to Frogmore, Royal expert Ingrid Seward said: ‘It’s going to cost him a tenth of what it cost him at Royal Lodge but that’s not how Andrew thinks. He has serious delusions of grandeur and he thinks he needs to live in a house like that.

‘If King Charles wants him to leave Royal Lodge well he’s going to have to use persuasion because legally he can’t move him out, he’s rented it from the Crown Estate.

‘If he can’t keep up the roof and the outside and all the things a big house needs, he could be in contravention of his lease and that’s the only way he could be moved out.’

Royal commentator and journalist Afua Hagan added: ‘He doesn’t have anything else, he doesn’t have any of his royal titles, he doesn’t have his military titles, he’s not a working royal. It’s the last bit of status that he can hold on to and he will hang onto that tooth and nail.’ 

The Duke of York has been embroiled in a series of scandals over the years, such as his associations with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and, more recently, controversy over his links to an alleged Chinese spy. 

Royal correspondent Emily Andrews also revealed why the monarch may no longer want his sibling at Royal Lodge anymore.

‘The reason given by those close to the King is that he doesn’t think it’s appropriate for a disgraced member of the royal family to live in such luxury,’ she told the documentary.

In 2003, Prince Andrew approached his mother, Queen Elizabeth, and asked her whether he’d be able to live at Royal Lodge.

As Royal Lodge needed a lot of renovation following the death of the Queen Mother in 2002, the Duke of York offered to help with repairs in exchange for it being his home.

He signed a 75-year lease with the Crown Estate and paid £1million upfront to deal the deal, which required him to agree to clean, undertake repairs, rebuild where necessary and re-paint the outside of the house every five years. 

Royal Lodge is thought to cost £400,000-a-year for up-keep. If Andrew can privately fund the costs of the maintenance and security, then he can stay, but if not he will have to consider living elsewhere. 

King Charles was also paying for his brother’s security at the property up until October last year, according to sources.

Andrew, the Duke of York, has insisted on staying in the mansion despite stepping down from official duties nearly five years ago. 

The King had been funding private guards at the mansion since Andrew’s armed cops, costing £3million a year, were removed in 2022 amid the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. He then reportedly did not renew the security for the Lodge when the contract expired in October last year. 

In June, it was claimed Charles wanted to rent out Windsor Royal Lodge for £1million a year – but this would require Andrew to move out. 

Charles reportedly wants Andrew to move to the five-bedroom Frogmore Cottage, the former home of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle before they moved to California.

The cottage is within the existing security cordon of the royal Windsor estate and was refurbished by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Since his many controversies came to light, the Duke of York is said to spend his days ‘playing video games’ and plane spotting.

Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond said: ‘Andrew is a bit of a recluse now, apparently he spends a great deal of his time either playing video games or most lately watching aircraft take off and land.’ 

According to experts in the documentary, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice’s father projects flight apps onto the wall and watches different planes travelling across the globe.

Author Gareth Russell added: ‘In good times that’s a place where [the royals] can grow up away from the public’s gaze as a happy family, but in bad times that privacy has meant that Royal Lodge is where some of the royal family’s unpopular members have hidden themselves from public criticism.’

Andrew moved into the royal lodge in 2004, with Fergie also using it as her base in the UK since 2008, later saying they have ‘afternoon tea’ together there almost every day. 

In an interview with the Mail in 2018, she said: ‘We sit round the table and have afternoon tea together. It’s a very important part of our lives. 

Andrew has already been stripped of holding any public role or patronage over his links with disgraced paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and strongly denied sexual assault. 

In 2011 he was also forced to quit his role as an international trade ambassador over concerns about his links to controversial figures, riling of diplomats and lavish trips.

The one thing other than his home (and unusable HRH title) that remains as a vestige of his former life is Andrew’s membership of the historic Order of the Garter, founded by Edward III in 1348 and inspired by the legendary knights of the round table.

His latest controversy over his links to an alleged Chinese spy resulted in him staying away from King Charles’s traditional pre-Christmas lunch, as well as the festivities at Sandringham on Christmas Day. 

In December it was revealed that a ‘close confidant’ of the Duke, Yang Tengbo, was an alleged Chinese spy – who had been banned from entering the UK after an investigation by MI5, with King Charles said to be ‘furious’.

Royal Lodge itself is a £30million house that was acquired by Queen Victoria’s uncle, King George IV, who wanted a house in the country.

When he came across the property, which had been there since the 1600s, it belonged to a ranger and only had two-bedrooms.

But in King George’s hands, it became a mansion and he knocked down most of the original dwelling, bringing in renowned architect John Nash to help with his vision. 

He spent £17,000 of public money developing the house, equivalent to around £1.7million in today’s money. 

It then changed hands to his successor, William IV, who tore much of the building down as much of it was rotten and crumbling. 

Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, added several other rooms to the house during the remodelling and the couple sent their son Alfred there to be schooled in Kingship.

Alfred left Royal Lodge for the navy aged 14 and it was left empty for many years until the 1930s, when it was handed down to King George George VI and the Queen Mother, who were then known as the Duke and Duchess of York. 

Queen Elizabeth, who was then Princess Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret grew up in Royal Lodge and had fond memories of the royal residence.

But the mansion was very dilapidated when they received it and needed a lot of work. 

It was a deeply personal place for both King George and the Queen Mother, as she chose to paint the outside a pastel pink and the couple would often be seen in the garden, digging away to ensure that it looked nice and presentable.

The couple spent £3,000, which would be around £300,000 now, of their own money renovating the house and building two more wings.

They also erected a swimming pool for their daughters and Elizabeth was given a miniature thatched cottage ‘Y Bwthyn Bach’, or The Little House, by the people of Wales.

Royal Lodge has seen many important moments in the Royal Family over the years, including when Edward VIII, brought home his American girlfriend for the first time, Wallis Simpson.

King Edward infamously gave up the throne to be with Wallis, who was dubbed not fit enough to be queen consort as she had been divorced twice.

This threw George and Elizabeth into the spotlight as they became King and Queen consort during the years Britain was going through WWII.

Royal Lodge had to be repainted during this time as they feared pastel pink would attract too much attention to enemy bombers, thus opting for a dark grey. It was changed back after the war ended.

When King George died in 1952, shortly after the war, his wife became the Queen Mother and her daughter, Elizabeth became Queen aged 25.

After giving her husband a send off at George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, the Queen Mother returned home to Royal Lodge, the house that they had built together and shared their fondest memories in. 

Over the years, it became a place of sanctuary for the royals, where they were able to hide away and live their lives out of the spotlight. 

Princess Margaret and her late father’s equerry, Peter Townsend, who was 16 years her senior, were said to use the property as a way to keep their relationship a secret from the public. 

When word of their relationship got out, Margaret threw many parties at the lodge to get over her heartbreak and then started dating society photographer, Antony Armstrong-Jones and the pair were married for 18 years.

Again, Royal Lodge provided them with seclusion, so they were able to continue their relationship on the down low, up until they announced their official engagement in 1960.

The Queen Mother died at her beloved home on March 30, 2002, almost two months after she buried her daughter Margaret, who passed away aged 71. 

It was then handed down to Andrew, as approved by the Queen, who then re-painted the pink Royal Lodge white. 

He currently lives in separate wings of Royal Lodge with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson. However, the pair reportedly enjoy dinners and afternoon tea together, with Fergie often describing them as the ‘happiest divorced couple’.