There has been much speculation regarding Prince Andrew’s future within the royal family. But King Charles’s younger brother appears to have made one important decision about the years ahead.
The King has reportedly told Andrew to vacate his 98-acre home of 20 years, Royal Lodge in Windsor. But, according to The Telegraph, Andrew has “no plans to move house”.
Instead, he intends to honor the terms of the lease he signed in 2003 which still has 55 more years to run. The decision also impacts Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, who also resides at the property.
The Duchess has also called Royal Lodge home since 2008 – although last year she purchased a pair of flats costing up to £7m in the heart of Mayfair as a “long-term investment” for her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
It is thought she is converting the flats into one home, but a source close to Sarah has said she isn’t planning to live there with Andrew.
Instead, it has been suggested that if the Duke did move from Royal Lodge, he would move to nearby Frogmore Cottage, the former home of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Earlier this year, King Charles made a cut to this brother’s annual allowance of £249,000, effectively pricing him out of the running costs of the 30-room Royal Lodge.
Andrew, who relies on the allowance since he left royal duties in 2019, moved into the Grade-II listed house in Windsor Great Park following the death of the Queen Mother in 2002.
The lease agreement required Andrew to carry out, at his own expense, refurbishments estimated at £ 7.5 million.
Under the terms of the agreement, Andrew may not benefit financially from any increase in the value of the property as the freehold belongs to the Crown Estate.
The leasehold may be assigned to his widow or his two daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, or a trust established solely for their benefit.
If he terminates the lease, the property would revert to the Crown Estate and he would be entitled to compensation for the refurbishment costs incurred up to a maximum of just under £7m.
It comes after Sarah publicly supported her ex-husband during an appearance on Good Morning Britain in April.
Describing him as a “good, kind man”, she added: “I think the spotlight needs to come off him and let him get on with his life to rebuilding.”
Andrew has made a handful of public appearances since stepping back from public duties in November 2019, following his TV interview with BBC Newsnight, which focused on his connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In February 2022, he reached an undisclosed out-of-court settlement with Virginia Giuffre, after she sued him claiming she was trafficked by Epstein to have sex with the royal when she was 17 and a minor under US law.
Andrew has vehemently denied the allegations.
Ahead of the US lawsuit, the late Queen stripped Andrew of his honorary military roles and he stopped using the style ‘His Royal Highness’ in any official capacity.