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Prince Andrew faces a stark new reality regarding his current abode at Windsors Royal Lodge, as sources allege he’s being nudged towards a smaller dwelling such as Frogmore Cottage, the previous habitation of Prince Harry and Meghan. The relocation effort for the 64 year old from his expansive 30-room home has been wryly nicknamed the ‘Siege of Royal Lodge’.
Commenting on this possible transition, former BBC Royal correspondent Jennie Bond divulged to OK! magazine some insights into Prince Andrew’s routine, pointing out an odd pastime: “Andrew seems to spend most of his time either riding around the huge estate on horseback or reportedly sitting in front of a big screen watching live coverage of planes landing and taking off,” she revealed.
Jennie didn’t mince words about the situation: “It’s not a good look. So the obvious answer is to persuade him to move to the vacant Frogmore Cottage which has been magnificently refurbished for £2.4 million which of course Harry and Meghan finally repaid.”
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Jennie also dismissed concerns over potential objections from Harry: “I really don’t think that the family trouble themselves any longer with how Harry might react to any decision.” She further explained: “The King is aware that having a disgraced Duke whiling away his time in a 30 room mansion that requires up to half a million pounds of upkeep every year and something like £2 million in security costs to keep him there looks bad.”, reports the Mirror.
Prince Andrew, along with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, has considered the grand house set in Windsor Great Park his residence for over 20 years. Nearly five years on from stepping back from Royal duties, Prince Andrew has had his police protection withdrawn following a Home Office review and now depends on private security funded by the King’s own fortune.
“It seems like a perfectly sensible and generous offer by the King to continue to pay the costs for his brother. The security would presumably be less at Frogmore because it is much closer to Windsor and within the security cordon already in place around the castle and its environs. It’s time this grand old Duke of York marched down the hill to a property he can afford!,” Jennie remarked.
Nestled on the Windsor Estate in Berkshire, Royal Lodge is a Grade II listed residence just a short five-mile journey from Her Majesty’s Windsor Castle abode. Constructed in the mid-17th century, it wasn’t until the 1930s that the property saw permanent Royal occupants when The Duke and Duchess of York received it as a gift from King George V.
After the passing of King George VI in 1952, the Queen Mother made Royal Lodge her home and passed away there on March 30, 2002, with her daughter, the Queen, at her side. Post the Queen Mother’s death, Prince Andrew took over the lease of the lodge in 2003, with the stipulation that he foot the bill for any renovations.
Reports suggest that the refurbishment costs soared beyond £7.5 million. In addition to the main house, the lease encompassed the Gardener’s Cottage, the Chapel Lodge, six Lodge Cottages, police security accommodation and a massive 40 hectares of land. After the refurbishments were completed, Prince Andrew and his two daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, moved into the property in 2004.
