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Prince Andrew is reportedly determined to stay in his Windsor home, Royal Lodge, while roof repairs are being done because he fears being permanently evicted if he leaves.
Andrew, who shares the property with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson and who has reportedly paid for the roof repairs himself, fears he won’t be able to afford the upkeep of Royal Lodge once brother King Charles cuts his £249,000 ($311,000) annual allowance. “It’s become farcical,” a source told the Daily Mail. “Andrew has roof repairs scheduled later this summer which will take several months to complete, and he has been advised that staying in the house during those renovations could prove problematic. But he is reluctant to leave.”
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Another source told the Times of London that Andrew thought he could stay in the property because his name was on the lease with the Crown Estate, rather than the royal family’s.
The saga of Andrew and the property has been rumbling away for months. In a seemingly serpentine game of royal property-swap, King Charles reportedly wants Andrew out of Royal Lodge and into the smaller Frogmore Cottage, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s British base, once their lease runs out in July.
Meanwhile, Prince William and Kate Middleton were reportedly being lined up to move into the 30-bedroom, grade II listed Royal Lodge, which is a lot bigger than their Windsor abode, the four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage.
Last month, friends of the royals told The Daily Beast that they suspected Andrew would move out “in the end”—and that media forays by Andrew’s camp, suggesting he would not willingly move out of Royal Lodge, were simply “maneuvers” to “get a better deal.” A friend of King Charles’ told The Daily Beast: “In the end, Andrew will play ball. The house is far too big and expensive for him to run without the king’s support and goodwill. The speculation is that he is ‘on maneuvers,’ and trying to get a better deal.”
A friend of Prince William’s also scoffed at reports that Andrew could try and stay at Royal Lodge. The friend told The Daily Beast: “It’s a hugely expensive house to run and he doesn’t have any money, so if they want him out he’ll have to go.”
A source told The Daily Beast that William and Kate were not pressuring Andrew to leave, and were perfectly happy at Adelaide Cottage.
Buckingham Palace was approached for comment. Andrew no longer has formal press representation, but his solicitor was emailed with a request for comment.
Read it at Daily Mail
