Prince Andrew is given ‘permission to stay at Royal Lodge indefinitely’ after striking a deal with King Charles ‘on more than £200,000 worth of roof repairs’
Prince Andrew has reportedly been given permission by the King to stay at his Royal Lodge home in Windsor indefinitely after striking a deal with the monarch.
The disgraced Duke of York He is said to have spent more than £200,000 on roof repairs to the royal mansion over the summer – a sum described as an ‘interim payment’.
He must now work to reassure his brother that he can cover the extensive repair costs of the £30 million, 30-room house – which is believed to be around £2 million.
King Charles has granted his younger brother a ‘stay of execution’ The mirror reports, after the couple had a disagreement over the Duke’s residence in the house.
A source suggested at the time that Andrew, who was forced to give up his royal duties due to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, could leave the property and be housed in the much smaller Frogmore Cottage instead.
The disgraced Duke of York is said to have spent more than £200,000 on roof repairs at the royal mansion this summer.
Andrew, who took over the late Queen Mother’s long-term home, has poured up to £7 million of his own fortune into renovations
Suggestions mounted that he could be forced to permanently ‘downsize’ to the Windsor cottage after Prince Harry and Meghan left it and moved to the US.
But sources said that despite the drama surrounding Royal Lodge and the costs required to repair it, the Duke of York was adamant he would stay in his home.
It is even believed that he refused to leave the property during the building work, fearing he ‘might never get back in’.
Amid the row, one of Andrew’s friends described how there had been a “cooling of relations” between him and the king.
Charles then extended an ‘olive branch’ to his brother by inviting him to Balmoral this summer, along with Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York.
The brothers are said to have held crisis talks at a family meeting there in late August, during which the issue of Andrew’s lease was resolved.
Charles then extended an ‘olive branch’ to his brother by inviting him to Balmoral along with Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York.
Royal Lodge has seven bedrooms spread over the two top floors and Andrew only shares the lavish mansion with his ex-wife Sarah.
But the Grade II listed mansion is in urgent need of repairs on top of the roof maintenance Andrew has already paid for, including work to fix a damp problem throughout the property.
Andrew took over the house from the late Queen Mother on a long-term lease and has spent up to £7 million of his own fortune on renovation work.
Buckingham Palace has been contacted for comment.