Related Articles
The King won’t leave Prince Andrew homeless and penniless and will continue to support him, royal sources insisted last night – despite reports that he faces being ‘evicted’ from his £30million Windsor home.
The disgraced duke has told friends he will not be able to afford the upkeep at Royal Lodge when his annual £249,000 grant is slashed from April.
He claims that by September he will effectively be forced out of the 30-room mansion, which has a swimming pool and is set in 98 acres.
It is understood that Royal Lodge, where the Prince, 63, lives with his ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, also 63, requires extensive work.
He stopped receiving public money when he stepped down from royal duties in 2019 in disgrace over sex abuse alleged by Virginia Giuffre, one of billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s victims, which he denies.
The disgraced duke has told friends he will not be able to afford the upkeep at Royal Lodge when his annual £249,000 grant is slashed
Prince Andrew fears that without the funds from the monarch, he will be unable to maintain the expansive 30-room Royal Lodge on the grounds of Windsor
The late Queen supported Andrew with private funds from the Duchy of Lancaster, but King Charles, 74, has made no secret of his desire for a slimmer monarchy, believing it is what the public wants.
He is reviewing how money is spent since taking control of the £652.8million Duchy of Lancaster fund – also known as the Privy Purse – and has told non-working royals to expect to have to tighten their belts.
The duke has told friends he feels he is being singled out, as his only other annual income is a small Navy pension.
One friend said: ‘It feels as though his brother wishes to evict him.’
But last night a source told the Daily Mail the claims seem to be based on ‘fears, not full facts’.
It is understood the King will not leave him homeless or penniless, but wants Andrew to use his own money to pay for things.
The King is expected to continue to support his brother if he wishes, with fears of the duke being left without somewhere to live or any money ‘unfounded’.
He is believed to have guaranteed Andrew an income – albeit reduced – and a home, and is understood to have agreed to pay privately for the duke’s security, estimated at £3million a year, after the Home Office axed his Scotland Yard protection officers.
It is understood that all members of the Royal Family have been told to tighten their belts and to expect less money from the Duchy – now owned by Charles – than in the past
Friends suggest the Duke (pictured on Saturday) is now looking to pursue commercial opportunities and is eyeing a move to America
The Duke was spotted riding in Windsor on Saturday as friends say he is ‘less bothered’ about the loss of his royal roles than the public might think
It was also pointed out that the duke received a substantial inheritance from the late Queen and Prince Philip.
Andrew signed a 75-year lease for Royal Lodge in 2003 for a one-off £1million. The terms of the lease require him to pay for recommended renovations.
Documents reveal the total spent on repairs exceeds £7.5millon.
Andrew and Sarah divorced in 1996 but remain close friends, and she moved into Royal Lodge in 2008. She also has a £5million townhouse in London’s Mayfair.
Andrew was given a house in Sunninghill, Berkshire, as a wedding gift by the Queen, but chose to sell it for £15million to a Kazakh billionaire.
The late Queen is said to have paid his out-of-court settlement to Mrs Giuffre – reportedly £12million – in February 2022. The duke is now seeking to overturn it.
Andrew has been evicted from Buckingham Palace and told he cannot have an apartment or office there when its £369million renovation is completed in 2027.
Buckingham Palace refused to comment.
Source link
