Prince Andrew’s ‘plan to pay for mouldy Royal Lodge’ after King ‘axes £1m allowance’

Prince Andrew is reportedly planning to cling on to his Windsor home Royal Lodge despite being cut off by King Charles – and a new book has revealed how the Duke of York plans to pay for its upkeep

It has been dubbed the siege of Royal Lodge with King Charles reportedly at loggerheads with Prince Andrew over his Windsor home.

It has long been said that the King would like his disgraced younger brother to move out of his 30-room mansion in Windsor Great Park, into the nearby smaller Frogmore Cottage. And now it has been reported that Andrew’s annual £1 million “living allowance” has been withdrawn by Charles, with many left wondering how the Duke of York can continue to pay for the upkeep of the home.

It comes after pictures appeared to show black mould, cracks and peeling paintwork at Royal Lodge. The duke was said to have signed a 75-lease on the Royal Lodge in 2003 and reportedly is adamant he will remain at the property.

And according to an updated version of the book Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story, which is being serialised in the Daily Mail, author Robert Hardman cites a source, who explains how Andrew claims he will pay for his home despite his allowance being axed.

The source tells the author: “He claims to have found other sources of income related to his contacts in international trade, sufficient to cover all his costs – which would be a welcome outcome for all parties if that turns out to be the case. But as to whether this funding can be relied upon in the long term is another matter.’”

Since 2004, Andrew has lived at Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate, which he now shares with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. Royal Lodge dates back to the mid-17th Century but it wasn’t until the mid-1930s that it got its first royal residents. In 1931, it was gifted to George VI and the Queen Mother – the then Duke and Duchess of York – as a weekend retreat.

The Queen Mother made several additions to the property and it also features a mini cottage or Wendy house called Y Bwthyn Bach, which was gifted to the late Queen – then Princess Elizabeth – in 1932. Even after the King died in 1952, it was still used as a grace and favour home by the Queen Mother up until she died there in March 2002, with the late Queen by her side.

Following the Queen Mother’s death, Royal Lodge was leased to Prince Andrew. Along with the main house, the lease included the Gardener’s Cottage, the Chapel Lodge, six Lodge Cottages, police security accommodation and a whopping 40 hectares of land. He was required to pay for any renovations himself, which reportedly were in the region of £7.5million.

In 2004, he then moved into Royal Lodge with his two daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie and soon after so did his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson after signing a 75-year lease.

Frogmore Cottage, the home reportedly being earmarked for Andrew, was formerly the UK residence of Harry and Meghan. Last year, the couple were forced to hand back the keys to the property at the request of the King as they had hardly used the home since they dramatically quit the UK to live in California.

Harry and Meghan handing back the property and potentially moving Andrew into it has been seen by many as a plan drawn up by the King. However, according to the updated book, this plan had actually been devised by the late Queen.

Citing an insider source, Mr Hardman said: “‘Had she lived another year, he would have been out’. It was her plan to move him out, to end the lease for the Sussexes at Frogmore Cottage and to move Andrew in there. It was mainly a money thing, as she could see it was becoming unsustainable.'”