Prince Andrew and his family will be able to carry on living at Royal Lodge if he sticks to one key move, a property expert has claimed.
The Duke of York has been in a reported dispute with his brother, King Charles, over his living situation in Windsor.
Andrew has been living in the 30-room property, with his former wife, Sarah Ferguson, since 2003, after having been granted a 75-year lease agreement by the Crown Estate.
However, his reported struggle with the upkeep has caused a headache for the monarch, who – it has been alleged – wants him to move to a much smaller home.
The King is said to have axed Andrew’s private security and £1million allowance; however, the duke managed to secure funds for the mansion’s upkeep.
Now a property expert has claimed that if the duke keeps on making his payments to maintain the Grade II listed, he won’t be able to be “turfed out” by neither Charles nor the Crown Estate.
Robin Edwards, of Curetons, told GB News: “As long as Prince Andrew can continue to pay the not insignificant upkeep costs of maintaining Royal Lodge as per the terms of his 2003 lease, King Charles and the freeholder the Crown Estate won’t be able to turf him or his descendants out.
“The 75-year lease agreement, in lieu of rent, requires Andrew to undertake refurbishments of Royal Lodge at his own expense.
“In September 2002 that was conservatively estimated at £7.5million excluding VAT.”
The expert added: “The costs are likely to have grown significantly since then with time and inflation.
“The property is Grade II listed and reportedly requires a huge amount of work. Photos of the exterior have shown crumbling stonework and peeling paint.”
Andrew’s daughters, who the duke was said to be hoping to pass his home on, do not live at the mansion.
Princess Beatrice lives with her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, in The Cotswolds, while Princess Eugenie splits her time between Portugal and the UK with her husband, Jack Brooksbank.
