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King Charles is “losing patience” with Prince Andrew after making several attempts to make him leave Royal Lodge.
The now disgraced Duke of York, 64, has occupied the 30-room mansion on the Windsor estate with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson since 2003 after being gifted a 75-year lease on the property for a reported notional rent of £260,000 a year by the late Queen Elizabeth II, with the added stipulation that he maintains the property.
Following the duke’s public fall from grace due to his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, the monarch wants him to move to a smaller, “more appropriate” home, but the duke is said to have consistently refused to leave.
In a bid to make this happen, Charles has now removed the £3m-a-year security that he was privately funding for his brother at the lodge, with staff being told that their contracts will not be renewed in October.
Andrew is said to have been given an autumn deadline to leave the property.
The Times claims that “only two possible options” remain for the duke – he will either have to foot the lodge’s security bill himself or relocate to a smaller royal residence.
A source told the outlet: “[Andrew] is taking longer than desirable to recognise the reality of the situation, even though [relocating] is clearly the most sensible course of action.”
As the duke was forced to step down as a working royal in 2019 and has never had a “traditional” job, it has been said that he is unlikely to be able to afford the security bill himself.
While he does receive a “generous” private allowance from the King on top of his existing naval pension, this could also be removed should he continue to refuse to leave the lodge.
Prince Andrew’s net worth was reported to be around £5m in 2017 by Bloomberg, one of the lowest sums in the royal family.
The second option of more appropriate accommodation has been speculated to be the more modest Frogmore Cottage, which was recently renovated when it was home to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
While the property initially had 10 bedrooms, following its refurbishment, this was reduced to five.
The cottage has been empty since the couple were asked to permanently vacate it last year following their move to California in 2020 after stepping down as working royals.
Frogmore Cottage is reported to be a suitable alternative home for the duke and his ex-wife because it still benefits from the security of the Windsor estate.
However, according to reports, Andrew has repeatedly refused to move into the cottage, where the king said he would be happy to continue financially supporting him.
A source told The Times that the monarch plans to privately rent out Royal Lodge for an estimated sum of £1m a year.
The property is reported to be in dire need of repairs Andrew has failed to carry out.
“It is now two years into the King’s reign, and he wants the matter settled,” an insider stressed to the newspaper.
“It can be done tidily or untidily. It can be done with grace and dignity or it can be forced upon him. It’s all rather sad.
“But as things stand, life at Royal Lodge is set to become increasingly cold and uncomfortable for the duke. The only question now is when he will realise that he has become a prisoner of his own pride.”
The Independent has reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.
Source: independent.co.uk
