The siege of the Royal Lodge: Prince Andrew is ready for a fight with King Charles after vowing to resist any attempt to kick him out of the mansion
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A royal battle appears to be on the horizon after Prince Andrew vowed to resist any attempt to kick him out of the Royal Lodge.
Sources close to the beleaguered Duke of York said yesterday: 'Andrew isn't going anywhere. He has a cast iron lease.”
It comes after the Daily Mail revealed last week that the king plans to evict his brother from the mansion he occupies on the Windsor estate and move him to a more modest property this year.
Sources say His Majesty has made it clear he does not want to pay indefinitely for his brother's 24-hour security at the late Queen Mother's former home, which has 10 bedrooms and 30 rooms. The security bill alone is estimated to cost Charles more than £3 million a year.
The King has made it clear that there is now no way back for his brother, stripped of royal duties and use of his HRH title by the late Queen, as a working royal (File photo, 2012)
The Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, home of the Duke of York
The impasse has reignited in the wake of the revelation of the 'Epstein papers' last week.
This collection of court documents released in the US relates to a 2015 civil suit for defamation.
It was filed by Virginia Roberts, the most high-profile victim of billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, against his girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who is imprisoned for her part in his crimes.
While many of the reported allegations were not new, the papers shed light on the uneasy relationship between the Duke and Epstein. It is alleged that Andrew stayed with the abuser for 'weeks' at a time and received 'daily' massages from his largely female staff.
Ms Roberts, now known by her married name Guiffre, has previously claimed she was trafficked to Britain by Epstein at the age of 17 and forced to have sex with Andrew. She also says she slept with the royal family at Epstein's homes in New York and the Caribbean, where an “underage orgy” took place.
No comment has been received from the prince, who is holed up at his Windsor home with ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, where he has been visited by their daughter Princess Beatrice. But he has previously strongly denied all allegations against him and says he cannot even remember meeting Ms Roberts.
In 2022, he settled a multi-million pound lawsuit alleging her sexual assault against him without admitting liability.
The furore has also once again raised questions about Andrew's future. The King has made it clear that there is now no way back for his brother, stripped of royal duties and use of his HRH title by the late Queen, as a working royal.
But he can still attend private events, such as the Christmas Day church service at Sandringham.
It is clear that this will not change. A source told the Mail: 'His Majesty bears no ill will towards his brother. But his attitude has not softened either.”
Charles believes his brother will have to 'downsize' with no visible income and a list of expensive repairs needed at Royal Lodge, where Andrew has had a long-term lease since 2003.
The king offered the duke other properties, most notably the five-bedroom Frogmore Cottage, where Harry and Meghan used to live. But Andrew thinks this is a 'demotion' too far.
Prince Andrew, Duke of York attends the Christmas morning service at Sandringham Church on December 25, 2023 in Sandringham, Norfolk
An informed source told the Mail yesterday that the king recognizes his brother has a legally binding lease but is determined not to bail him out due to the high maintenance costs of the mansion.
It comes after The Mail On Sunday revealed yesterday that Maxwell had been ordered by a US court to search her emails for Andrew's name, along with words such as 'sex toy' and 'erotic'.