Prince Andrew Has a Remarkably Simple Plan to Stay at the Royal Lodge: Report
Prince Andrew reportedly has a simple—and somewhat sad—plan to hang on to the Royal Lodge. As his dispute with King Charles III about vacating the mansion drags on, the Duke of York isn’t in a hurry to expedite negotiations and get things settled between him and his brother. Instead, he’s believed to want the opposite, to keep the dispute going.
Andrew’s plan is to ‘run out the clock’ on his dispute with King Charles
A source shared Andrew’s plan with The Daily Beast telling the outlet he’s in no rush to settle the Royal Lodge dispute. Time, they said, is on his side as he’s significantly younger than his brother
“Andrew can sit tight and run out the clock,” the insider said. “Andrew wants his brother to live long and prosper. He is intensely loyal to the monarchy. But it’s not exactly a state secret that Andrew is more than a decade younger than his brother.” (The king’s health has been in the spotlight since his cancer diagnosis in February 2024.)
Andrew is 64. He was born to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in February 1960. Meanwhile, King Charles, the oldest of the late royals’ four children, is 75, coming up on 76. His birthday is Nov. 14.
Andrew has reportedly refused to move to a smaller home, preferring to remain at the 30-room mansion located in Windsor, England. He rejected the idea of taking over Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s former five-bedroom home, Frogmore Cottage, which they gave up in 2023.
Andrew’s plan, besides waiting, is to bequeath the remaining years of his Royal Lodge lease to his and Sarah Ferguson’s daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
Why the king wants Andrew to leave now is a ‘great mystery’
So, why now? Why does King Charles want Andrew to vacate the Royal Lodge? Those close to Andrew have asked this question without an answer. “Quite why Charles wants this distraction at this moment in his reign is a great mystery to Andrew’s friends,” the source said.
“It looks childish and vindictive, as I don’t think anyone except Charles would give a damn where Andrew lives,” they added. (The king’s choice to evict the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from Frogmore Cottage has also been criticized as the property is vacant.)
Andrew has lived at the Royal Lodge, the former home of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, since the early 2000s. He’s reportedly neglected payments to maintain the property, which reportedly costs $503,000 a year in upkeep.
He won’t give up the Royal Lodge without an incentive
According to a former courtier, the housing dispute won’t end with Andrew taking up residence somewhere else unless the king gives him some encouragement.
“The whole thing is a mess, and arguing about it publicly is not helping the king,” they said. “Ultimately, Andrew will have to be given something to surrender the lease.”
While they didn’t specify what King Charles might entice his brother to leave the Royal Lodge with, the royal family has an extensive real estate portfolio. That means the king could potentially offer Andrew the lease to another desirable property.
For now, Andrew—and Ferguson—remain at the Royal Lodge.
