Pals of King Charles have ridiculed the concept Charles is utilizing upcoming repairs at Royal Lodge, Prince Andrew’s huge dwelling in Windsor Nice Park, as a way of pressurizing Andrew to maneuver out, however instructed that the disgraced prince will in the end have to go away the large, 30-room, crenelated property as it will likely be too costly for him to take care of with out subvention from the monarch.
A pal of the king mentioned: “The concept Charles goes to make use of constructing works as some underhand pretext to get Andrew out after which lock the doorways is about as ill-informed as earlier hypothesis he was going to chop off the electrical energy. That’s merely not how he operates.”
The pal identified that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had been requested “in an easy” trend to surrender the lease to their dwelling, Frogmore Cottage. It’s understood Harry and Meghan had been financially compensated for cash they spent on the property.
Requested if this meant Andrew was going to be requested to go away Royal Lodge in an analogous means and given an analogous deal, the pal dodged the query, saying: “It’s a really costly place to stay and Andrew doesn’t have a major supply of revenue, so in the end he’ll in all probability have to maneuver out.”
The pal mentioned they didn’t know if studies that the king had lower Andrew’s allowance, rumored to have been as a lot as £250,000 ($311,000) every year underneath the queen, as has been beforehand reported, had been correct, however mentioned, that in any case, “250 grand wouldn’t go far on Royal Lodge. It’s huge. It wants employees and fixed, main repairs. It’s not possible for him to stay there long run with out the king’s help.”
The guessing video games about Andrew’s tenure at Royal Lodge have re-erupted after a report within the Every day Mail, by the paper’s revered royal correspondent Rebecca English, claimed that Andrew was refusing to maneuver out of Royal Lodge even briefly throughout constructing work, which he himself commissioned, for worry “he may by no means get again in.”
A supply informed the Every day Mail that: “It’s turn out to be farcical. Andrew has roof repairs scheduled later this summer time, which can take a number of months to finish and has been suggested that staying in the home throughout these renovations might show problematic. However he’s reluctant to go away.”
Nonetheless a supply in Andrew’s camp just lately informed The Occasions that he has no intention of quitting Royal Lodge, and believes he’s on a sound authorized footing as a result of he has a proper lease with the Crown Property for the property.
The supply informed The Occasions: “This can be a lease between him and the Crown Property. That’s not a matter for the king. It’s a matter for the chancellor of the exchequer. The one means you possibly can get him to maneuver out can be via an association—he must agree.”
If Andrew does transfer out, it can go away one other empty house-shaped headache for Charles (or, extra precisely, Sir Michael Stevens, the Keeper of the Privy Purse, because the monarch’s chief accountant is understood) to unravel.
The king is dealing with criticism for the variety of useful properties the household have entry to, not least the monarch himself who has a number of houses at his disposal together with Windsor Fort, Buckingham Palace, Balmoral, Sandringham, Highgrove, Clarence Home and several other others. His spouse, Camilla, additionally maintains her personal non-public dwelling.
It has been rumored that Andrew is to be persuaded to relocate to Harry and Meghan’s former dwelling, Frogmore Cottage, in order that William and Kate might transfer into Royal Lodge, which has ten bedrooms, and during which Andrew and his ex-wife, Sara Ferguson, stay in separate wings. Nonetheless a supply beforehand informed The Every day Beast the couple had been “very completely happy” at four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage, additionally in Windsor Nice Park, to which they moved in August final 12 months, and they’re understood to not be agitating to tackle Royal Lodge.
“In the long run, Andrew will play ball.”
— Buddy of King Charles
A pal of William’s informed The Every day Beast: “They’ve actually solely simply moved to Adelaide, so I doubt they’re eager to do all of it once more.”
Final month, buddies of the royals informed The Every day Beast that they suspected Andrew would transfer out “in the long run”—and that media forays by Andrew’s camp, suggesting he wouldn’t willingly transfer out of Royal Lodge, had been merely “maneuvers” to “get a greater deal.”
A pal of King Charles’ beforehand informed The Every day Beast: “In the long run, Andrew will play ball. The home is much too huge and costly for him to run with out the king’s help and goodwill. The hypothesis is that he’s ‘on maneuvers,’ and making an attempt to get a greater deal.”
Nonetheless it’s no secret in royal circles that Charles thinks it’s damaging for the monarchy that Andrew remains to be dwelling in an opulent royal palace after he was kicked out of the ranks of the working royals after he was accused of sexual assault by Virginia Giuffre, a Jeffrey Epstein trafficking sufferer.
The query is whether or not Andrew is now bluffing within the hope of getting a much bigger monetary settlement for surrendering his lease, or if he actually intends to defy his brother by staying put in Royal Lodge. If that actually is the case, and he and his household can not afford to restore and keep it, Charles should select between permitting a historic dwelling to crumble round his nightmare sitting tenant—or pay for the maintenance himself in spite of everything.
Buckingham Palace didn’t reply to a request for remark. Andrew now not has a proper press spokesperson, however his solicitor, who was emailed with a request for remark, didn’t reply.