Prince Andrew’s deteriorating Royal Lodge requires urgent repair, potentially sparking controversy

05 May 2024 , 07:04

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Prince Andrew’s deteriorating Royal Lodge requires urgent repair, potentially sparking controversy

The disgraced Duke of York, who has no apparent income, was reportedly told last year to leave the 30-room Royal Lodge by the King. There were claims Andrew, 64, could not meet the £400,000-a-year upkeep costs

Prince Andrew’s home appears to be crumbling and desperately in need of repair, potentially reigniting the row with Charles and William over whether he should still live there.

The disgraced Duke of York, who has no apparent income, was reportedly told last year to leave the 30-room Royal Lodge by the King. There were claims Andrew, 64, could not meet the £400,000-a-year upkeep of the 19th century, Grade II-listed property, which has a pool and 90 acres of land. 

But Andrew refused to budge from the Queen Mother’s former home in Windsor Great Park. It was reported in October last year he did a deal to stay if he kept up repairs. But our exclusive pictures today show what seems to be worsening cracks to brickwork, as well as paint peeling from an exterior building.

A source said: “The Duke of York has a clear responsibility for the upkeep of the Royal Lodge estate, which is certainly not happening. The state of the residence will be of great concern to the King after everything that has gone on and been discussed in regards to the house. “Prince Andrew was told he must take charge of the necessary renovations or he will have no cause to stay in the house.

“There is no doubt the King will be alarmed at the true state of the residence after the duke assured him everything was in hand.” Royal expert Ingrid Seward, editor in chief of Majesty magazine and author of My Mother and I, said: “The reason Charles has the problems with Andrew is because of Andrew’s inflated sense of self-importance, which is why he feels he should be living in a palace or somewhere similar.”

Charles, 75, reportedly offered his brother Harry and Meghan’s former five-bedroom home Frogmore Cottage on the Crown Estate. And courtiers speculated that William and Kate and their three children George, Charlotte and Louis, could move into the Lodge. At the time of the agreement it was reported Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who shares the property with him, had vowed to help him financially.
It was later claimed the duke was stalling over a deal with the Crown Estate to prove he could meet the repair bill and had “not been forthcoming” with financial details. Andrew’s finances continue to be shrouded in mystery. In 2022, he paid a reported £12million settlement to sex abuse accuser Virginia Giuffre to halt a US civil trial after she said he sexually assaulted her three times when she was 17, which he vehemently denies.

The prince sold a luxury Swiss chalet for £17million, co-owned with Fergie, but was understood to have debts on the property. He was forced to step down from royal duties after his car-crash BBC Newsnight interview in November 2019.

In it he failed to apologise for his relationship with the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Three months earlier, the financier killed himself in a jail cell while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. It is believed a £250,000-a-year allowance given to Andrew by the late Queen was cut by Charles. Since then, his attempts at plotting a way back into the royal fold have been snuffed out by the King and William. 

There have been no recent signs of him driving his own £80,000 Range Rover Sport, with a private number plate based on his royal title. Andrew has been at the centre of a row over his use of a special royal Range Rover, despite no longer being a working royal and having been stripped of his armed police protection. Previously it cost the public up to £3m a year.

The Royal Lodge where Prince Andrew resides is definitely in need of a lick of paint ( Image: w8media)

Ms Seward said: “Despite extensive renovation, which was part of Andrew’s agreement with the Crown Estates when he took it over, Royal Lodge is extremely expensive to run. As always, [Andrew’s] financial situation is shrouded in mystery. 

“If he has the cash, he’s clearly not using it on the upkeep of Royal Lodge. “The upkeep of a house of such magnitude could cost him everything he has and more. The late Queen was said to have given him ‘absolute assurance’ he could live there as long as he wanted. Charles has no wish to upset his brother.

Any attempts to evict Prince Andrew would be difficult as he has lived at the property for 20 years and has signed a 75-year lease on it ( Image: w8media)

“He won’t force him out, but neither does he have any wish to finance him for the rest of his life.” Despite palace officials suspecting he cannot afford the Lodge’s annual upkeep, the duke claims he is financially secure owing to his inheritance from the late Queen and money coming in from a 22-book deal Sarah signed.

Elizabeth Baker