Prince Andrew’s ‘reclusive’ life at Royal Lodge as Amazon drama offers ‘ammo’ for eviction

Prince Andrew has reportedly become a “recluse” amid an ongoing disagreement with King Charles over the tenancy of Royal Lodge, according to a royal commentator.

Charlotte Griffiths., the editor at large for the Mail on Sunday, shared her insights on the deadlock during an episode of Palace Confidential. She also hinted that an upcoming Amazon documentary could further tarnish the reputation of the “disgraced” Duke.

In 2023, it was reported that the Duke of York, aged 64, was struggling to cover the £400,000-a-year maintenance costs of the property.

However, Griffiths also believes that the Royal Family finds it “embarrassing” that he continues to reside in such a “prominent building”, especially after his disastrous Newsnight interview.

Griffiths commented: “I think he is trying to keep a low profile because he’s trying to cling on to Royal Lodge, and the last thing he needs is another big round of newspaper articles and you know, a sort of Netflix series.

“Although, actually, I think this one’s Amazon, just dragging it all up again and it is a reminder and it gives ammunition to those that do want to take him out of Royal Lodge.”

The Amazon documentary, ‘A Very Royal Scandal’, set to be broadcast on September 19, will explore the events surrounding Andrew’s notorious BBC Newsnight interview.

The highly anticipated drama, featuring Michael Sheen and Ruth Wilson, aims to “demonstrate the power of journalism through a pivotal moment in British history”.

Charlotte added: “You know that it’s embarrassing to have a sort of disgraced member of the family in a really prominent building as part of the you know, Royal Estate, so I think he is laying low, but also, I think he might be getting a little bit reclusive.”

It has been reported that King Charles is eager to relocate Andrew to smaller accommodations and reduce the funding used for estate security. However, the Duke of York signed a 75-year lease in 2003, and the monarch lacks legal grounds to evict him.

Charlotte thinks Andrew has “finally got the message” about staying out of the limelight, as the Firm initially couldn’t “get him to keep a low profile” when he was “sort of exiled” from the Royal Family.

She continued: “He kept wanting to be out, didn’t he? And as the years have passed, I think he has suddenly gone, you know, very low profile, to the point of maybe even being a bit of a recluse.”

The editor suggested that Andrew “can’t do anything” and mentioned some of his current hobbies, such as horse riding and “watching flight videos”, indicating signs of being “quite lonely and isolated”.

Jo Elvin, host of Palace Confidential, then brought up Andrew’s “bizarre new hobby”, reportedly using an app to track global flights and projecting them onto a wall in his home.

Daily Mail Royal Editor Rebecca English commented that the Duke’s social life appears to be somewhat lacking, saying it suggests he has “not a lot going on” but also noting it may “keep him out of trouble”.