Friends of Prince Andrew were jubilant Friday night after the disgraced duke won the so-called “Siege of Royal Lodge,” successfully defying his brother King Charles’ long-running efforts to kick him out of the extravagant 90-acre property.
In a bitter humiliation for the king, who has spent much of the past year scheming to get Andrew, Duke of York, out of the 10-bedroomed mansion, the palace has thrown in the towel and accepted that Andrew can stay there after all. Charles was rumored to be eyeing the place as a potential dowager house for his wife Camilla.
Charles’ final maneuver was to cut his brother’s annual allowance of £1 million (roughly $1.3 million) and his private security detail. But to no avail: The king has now accepted that he has lost, in what many will see as a devastating blow to his authority while he struggles with the familiar challenge of an ailing monarch—maintaining discipline and obedience.
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The capitulation was first reported in the London Times, which said that Andrew would remain in the property having assured royal accountants he could afford to maintain the home and pay his rent. The keeper of the privy purse is said to have accepted Andrew’s money is “coming from legitimate sources.”
Royal biographer Andrew Lownie had previously told the Daily Beast that Andrew has “plenty of money,” and has been making bank from contacts in the Middle East since leaving the official royal family. His wife, Sarah Ferguson, who also lives at the Lodge, has co-authored a series of best-selling romance novels. The couple recently bought a $6 million property in London’s Mayfair, from which they are thought to be receiving a significant rental income.
“We are thrilled for Andrew. Andrew has a cast iron lease on the property, so God knows why Charles chose to pick this battle,” a friend of the prince told the Daily Beast. “It’s hard to imagine anyone would have any interest in where Andrew is living if Charles’ aides had not spent the past year banging on about it. He was never going to just walk away from the property; the lease is a valuable asset he intends to leave to his children, and maybe William will be glad of having Eugenie or Beatrice there in years to come.”
Another friend told the Daily Beast: “Charles has everything. He is as rich as Croesus. Andrew is 64 and his house is basically all he has left, and it was wicked of the king to try and take it off him. Why? Who cares?”
This friend speculated that the recent publication of details of the king’s phenomenal wealth in the Sunday Times had been a factor in Charles “dropping the pretense the monarchy is run on a shoestring.”
A source told the Times, meanwhile: “If Andrew can pay for his own upkeep with legitimate means, then it is not an issue. But the king’s patience has run out when it comes to funding his brother’s lifestyle in a way that does not fit his status.”
