Prince Andrew 'is refusing to budge' from Royal
Lodge as he demands a summit with King Charles — and a bit of dignity from his
brother
Prince Andrew is refusing to move out of his £30m home
Royal Lodge in Windsor
King Charles feels Duke should leave the home and move
into Frogmore Cottage
It is understood Royal Lodge is earmarked for Prince
William and his family
By DAPHNE
BARAK FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY
PUBLISHED:
21:42 BST, 13 May 2023 | UPDATED: 01:39 BST, 14 May 2023
Prince
Andrew will not move out of his £30 million home, Royal Lodge on the Windsor
estate, putting him on collision course with King Charles.
The Duke of
York is digging his heels in and refusing to vacate the 30-room mansion, his
home for more than 20 years.
Charles has
let it be known that Andrew should leave the house, where he lives with ex-wife
Sarah Ferguson, and downsize to Prince Harry’s former home, Frogmore Cottage.
It is
widely understood that Royal Lodge, once occupied by the Queen Mother, has been
earmarked for Prince William and his family.
As first
revealed in The Mail on Sunday, the King is cutting the annual £250,000 subsidy
that the late Queen gave to Andrew – meaning he can no longer afford the upkeep
for the mansion.
Friends of
the Yorks say Andrew, who was forced to step back as a front-line Royal because
of his association with paedophile millionaire Jeffrey Epstein, is ‘refusing to
budge’ from Royal Lodge. They say he’s in low spirits and has become reclusive.
One friend said: ‘He is so fragile. He’s refusing to see anybody. This has been
his family home for the past 20 years. Is it really sensible to kick him out?
‘He’s
concerned that now the Coronation is over, the knives are out. He’s worried
that the Royals might even turn off the utilities to get him out of there. But
we’re dealing with human beings, not real estate.’
With Andrew
and Sarah living together, their daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, are regular
visitors.
Another
friend said: ‘Eugenie is heavily pregnant and her parents expect to have the
new grandchild there this summer.
‘Don’t
forget that Sarah has been the glue holding the family together through this
nightmare.’
It is
understood that the Palace had initially said the Yorks must leave the property
– which they lease – by September, but that the authorities now accept such a
tight timetable is unrealistic.
As first revealed in The Mail on Sunday, the King is
cutting the annual £250,000 subsidy that the late Queen gave to Andrew ¿
meaning he can no longer afford the upkeep for the mansion
Frogmore
Cottage, renovated to a high standard, became free after the Duke and Duchess
of Sussex, Harry and Meghan, left to live in California.
Negotiations
over Royal Lodge –which began under the reign of the late Queen – are
continuing. Andrew is understood to be frustrated that talks are between
officials instead of between brothers – and wants that to change.
Friends
suggest that he might consider a compromise deal if Charles ‘does the decent
thing’ and talks to his brother face to face.
One said:
‘If Charles wants Andrew to play ball and help the family through these
difficult times, aren’t there better ways of going about it?
‘Why not do
the decent thing, sit down and talk?
‘If they
need the house for William, perhaps Andrew should be told. Perhaps William
should invite his uncle for tea and explain.
‘Or why
doesn’t Charles invite his brother for a meeting and ask him if he’d leave
Royal Lodge to help his nephew and the future of the monarchy? And agree a
schedule acceptable to both sides.
‘Is a
little decency so difficult? There are real people at the heart of all this.
‘He’s just
lost his mother. Who, straight after that, would want to be evicted by his
brother?’
.jpg)
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário