18 August 2024 , 09:36
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Prince Andrew is set to lose his security detail protecting him at home on Windsor estate, according to reports.
The King is said to no longer be prepared to privately fund his brother’s guards, amid speculation he wants to turf him out of the Royal Lodge entirely.
Andrew’s security have been privately funded by Charles after he lost publicly-funded police protection in 2022.
According to The Sun on Sunday, members of the current security detail have been told their services will not be needed from November.
A palace insider told the newspaper: ‘Everyone is speculating this means the duke will have to leave the Royal Lodge because what other reason could there be to take his security away?’
Sources added: ‘It isn’t a secret that the King wants him out.’
The Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, the home of Prince Andrew and his ex wife Sarah The Duchess of York (Picture: Rex)
The Duke of York has been sidelined as a working royal since his disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019 about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and allegations of sexual abuse.
Earlier this year, it was reported Andrew refused an offer to move out of Royal Lodge on Windsor Great Park into nearby Frogmore Cottage, the previous home of Prince Harry and his family.
The saga has been ongoing for some time, with a friend of the King telling the Times in June: ‘Unfortunately, if Andrew refuses to leave within a reasonable time frame, then the King may be forced to reassess the whole package of support he provides.
‘And the duke would be required to fund the lion’s share of his security, accommodation and lifestyle costs all on his own – which, given the sums involved, is highly unlikely to be possible in the long term.’
Andrew could not meet the £400,000-a-year upkeep of the 30-room royal residence, which is worth around £30 million.
The duke was said to have signed a 75-year lease on the mansion in 2003.
The Sun said both Charles and Andrew are staying at the Balmoral estate in Scotland this weekend.
Pressure on Andrew continues to mount after the unsealing of hundreds of pages of court documents connected to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
A batch of legal papers released earlier this year detailed how Epstein’s former housekeeper Juan Alessi claimed the duke had daily massages when he spent ‘weeks’ at the paedophile financier’s Florida home.
Juan Alessi, who worked at Epstein’s Palm Beach residence, said both the duke and his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, were friends with Epstein and the now-convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.
Previous allegations Andrew sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre three times when she was 17 including during an orgy resurfaced in the court documents.
He strenuously denies the claims and in 2022 paid millions to Ms Giuffre to settle a civil case out of court, saying he never met her.
The Metropolitan Police said no new investigation has been launched.