Prince William is the one trying to drive Prince Andrew out of Royal Lodge, with the heir reportedly unlikely to be as kind to the disgraced royal as the King.
Prince Andrew is insistent on not downsizing as he remains in the Royal Lodge despite King Charles’ attempts to get him to move out, according to SkyNews.com.au Digital Reporter Reilly Sullivan.
“he’s not really being paid by the monarchy anymore because he doesn’t complete any royal duties so his finances are unclear,” he told Sky News Digital Presenter Gabriella Power.
“He lives in Royal Lodge, it’s a huge home on the Windsor estate, it was the Queen mother’s old house and I’m sure, you know, it was fine for him to upkeep this home when he was a working royal but now that he’s very much in the shadows, he doesn’t necessarily have the money.
“But they’ve managed to sort of stave off the eviction for now.”
The Prince of Wales’ bond with Andrew has been in tatters since the latter was forced to step down as a senior working royal after Virginia Giuffre accused him of sexual assault linked to the Jeffery Epstein case – an allegation Andrew denies.
The King is also reportedly forcing the Duke out of his home and into Frogmore Cottage as his current resident is beset by a £400,000-a-year upkeep fee which Andrew seemingly cannot afford.
Prince William, not King Charles, is driving Prince Andrew out of Royal Lodge as the heir plots a very grim future for his uncle. Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images
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However, speaking to Mail Online, Royal writer Richard Kay suggested it was William who is pushing for Andrew to be evicted from the Estate due to a grudge he holds over his uncle linked to “unwelcoming” behaviour towards Kate.
“William has long held a grudge against Andrew for being unwelcoming when he first introduced the then Kate Middleton to the Royal Family and feels that his father has been too soft on him,” Mr Kay said.
“It has led to speculation that it is William who is pushing his father to evict the Duke of York from Royal Lodge, so the Waleses could move in.
“Differences between monarch and heir do remain, especially when it comes to the Prince Andrew scandal.”
It comes as William reportedly has no plans to reinstate Andrew as a working member of the royal family when he ascends the throne in the future.
Royal expert Richard Eden last month told Mail Online a friend of William’s revealed to him the heir was in “full agreement” with his father about the need for a slimmed-down monarchy.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams shut down speculation Andrew could return to public life. Picture: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
“He told me: ‘When the older members of the family retire, His Royal Highness won’t be inviting anyone else to become working royals. It remains to be seen if he will even want his two younger children to be working royals’,” he said.
“He sees the small European monarchies as the model for the future.”
It remains to be seen which member of the firm will sweep the crumbling Lodge out from under Andrew’s feet as he battles to keep it within his immediate family.
Speculation has swirled he has explored passing the lease onto his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who he divorced in 1996 but continues to live with, or their daughters Princess Beatrice, 35 and Princess Eugenie, 34.
If Beatrice or Eugenie are reluctant to move in, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are reportedly the Lodge’s next occupants given the Prince and Princess of Wales are happy with their current home Adelaide Cottage.
While Andrew battles to keep the property, his finances are said to be in turmoil after he was forced to pay £12million in an out-of-court settlement to Giuffre.
It is understood the King has also threatened to strip the Duke of his £4million allowance, including £3million for his private security, after he was forced to step aside from royal duties.