King Charles’s attempts to force his brother Prince Andrew to relocate to a new residence could lead to him instigating a “radical shake up” of how royal accommodation is given out, it has been claimed.
Prince Andrew stepped away from royal duties following his disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019, but he still lives in the Royal Lodge on the Windsor Castle estate.
His stepping back from royal duties means that as with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke of York is no longer eligible for several entitlements.
Andrew now no longer entitled to his £1 million annual allowance, with the King putting as top to it earlier this month.
Royal commentator Robert Hardman alleged the monarch instructed his Keeper of the Privy Purse to sever Andrew’s annual personal allowance which he had used to fund his living expenses and security.
Prince Andrew is said to be determined to keep hold of the Royal Lodge which he has lived in since 2003.
Reports suggest that the King has tried to persuade his brother to downsize to Frogmore Cottage, with the level of annual maintenance Andrew is obligated to fund costing hundreds of thousands of pounds each year.
However, according to The Times, Prince Andrew has convinced Palace authorities that he is able to cover the costs himself, in the hope that this will be enough to allow him to stay.
A source said: “If Andrew can pay for his own upkeep with legitimate means, then it is not an issue.
“But the King’s patience has run out when it comes to funding his brother’s lifestyle in a way that does not fit his status.”
Royal commentator Gareth Russell told GB News: “I don’t think it’s the case that [King Charles] doesn’t care where the money comes from.
“They are restricted by legal matters, which is that they can’t really ask where the money is coming from.”
Andrew was given a 75 year lease on the property when he moved into it 21 years ago, with the lease agreement stating that he must “repair, renew, uphold, clean and keep in repair and where necessary rebuild” the home.
The extortionate cost of upkeep for a building of that size has cost hundreds of thousands of pounds meaning much of the work has been left incomplete, frustrating the King who believes he should move somewhere where the upkeep costs are more modest.
Russell believes the saga could lead to a “radical shake up” of the way in which such matters are handled in future.
He explained: “Now this may mean, in the future, there’ll be a radical shake-up about how these sort of grace and favour Royal Estate contracts are drawn up, because it’s become quite clear that the Crown doesn’t have the authority over some of its own properties that it might have in an ideal world.
“So maybe we’ll see going forward that leases like the one that currently exists with Royal Lodge just won’t be issued again.”
