Prince Andrew ‘has raised the funds to stay at Royal Lodge,’ humiliating King Charles

Prince Andrew’s Royal Lodge saga has finally been put to bed. I won’t go into the whole tortured history of it, but last year, King Charles decided that it would be a good use of his time to play musical chairs with various royal homes in Windsor. Charles evicted the Sussexes from Frogmore Cottage and demanded that Andrew give up his valid lease on Royal Lodge, all so Andrew could move into Frogmore. Andrew refused to budge, even as Charles waged a very public pressure campaign. Then, in Robert Hardman’s new book chapters, he revealed that Charles had finally cut off Andrew’s £1 million annual allowance. This came after Charles apparently cut off Andrew’s £3 million annual security several months ago too. Even without Charles’s largesse, there was nothing to be done about Andrew’s valid lease. And now Andrew has informed the Crown Estate that he has the money to support himself at Royal Lodge and that’s just what he plans to do:

The Duke of York has raised the funds to be allowed to stay at Royal Lodge. It is understood that Prince Andrew’s money has been approved by Sir Michael Stevens, the keeper of the privy purse, as coming from legitimate sources.

Andrew, 64, received written notice earlier this year that King Charles, his older brother, would cut him off financially if he refused to move out of the estate in Windsor and into more modest accommodation. The duke lives in the 30-room estate in Windsor Great Park with his former wife Sarah Ferguson under a lease agreement with the Crown Estate which is valid until 2078.

In an unexpected twist, Andrew has now convinced Palace authorities that he has sufficient funds from legitimate sources to support himself. He no longer receives public money and with no discernible income beyond a Royal Navy pension there have long been questions over the source of the duke’s wealth. A source said: “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.”

[From The Times]

Sources close to Andrew have maintained for years that he has plenty of money squirreled away, and no one really knows where it came from or what Andrew did to get it. There was the Swiss chalet he bought out of nowhere, then sold and pocketed what he could from the sale. There were other real estate ventures. There was Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell too. So who knows. In any case, sources close to Andrew are now emphasizing that this whole ordeal blew up in Charles’s face.

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 out of the ten-bedroomed mansion—which he was rumored to be eying as a potential dowager house for his wife Camilla—the palace has thrown in the towel and accepted that Andrew can stay there after all.

Charles’ last 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 as he struggles with the familiar challenge of an ailing monarch; maintaining discipline and obedience.

“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 shoe string.”

[From The Daily Beast]

Yeah, I don’t have a solid explanation for why Charles was hellbent on publicizing this drama with Andrew, other than it was Charles’s sad attempt to look “tough” on a sexual predator or like he was pinching pennies. The thing is, Charles didn’t look tough at all – he looked like he picked a fight with brother over old family sh-t (mummy loved Andrew more!), then cozied up to that same sexual predator brother whenever it was convenient. I haven’t forgotten that Andrew was given prominent placement at the past two Christmas walks in Sandringham. Charles even gave Andrew and the Yorks use of Wood Farm. Andrew was also welcomed at Balmoral for the past two summers.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Backgrid.

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48 Responses to “Prince Andrew ‘has raised the funds to stay at Royal Lodge,’ humiliating King Charles”

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  1. somebody says:

    Charles doesn’t give a flip how things look in regards to Andrew. He is just greedy and wants all the money to himself. He didn’t want to support Meghan who was more popular than Andrew and brought more positive attention to the royals. I wonder what the keeper of the privy purse considers legitimate sources. Bags of cash from the middle east? I am glad that Charles is being thwarted and hopeful that Andrew’s new source of income is writing a book. If Bea and Eugenie are smart they will let the royals have back the property after Andrew dies.

    • Meredith says:

      Could be an inheritance from one of his deceased royal relatives, or perhaps he’s been socking away some of the money Charles was giving him— I don’t think there was any provision that unspent allowance could be clawed back. Maybe he lived below his allowance or maybe he was spending shady money out of different accounts.

  2. Josephine says:

    May they both continue to damage each other. There is no good guy here, but it’s nice that they can supply crap about each other.

  3. Piper says:

    I don’t understand why the lease is valuable to his daughters?

    • sevenblue says:

      Isn’t the lease a great deal? If I am not mistaken, he pays pennies for rent, but has a responsibility to take care of its maintenance. Of course, he would like his daughter to have it after him. Even if they don’t wanna live there, they can still make money off of it. Charles or Will can pay them out of the lease too. He knows better not to give up on a lot of money.

    • Nic919 says:

      It is a 95 year lease that is transferable to Eugenie and Beatrice and so it has value because this lease is enforceable and can’t be terminated like Frogmore, which was a different status under royal peculiar.

      Charles doesn’t want Andrew going to court to preserve his rights. And William doesn’t either.

    • KeKe Swan says:

      Andrew and by extension his family have control of the property for the next 54 years—that means it’s his daughters who will inherit the lease.

  4. Maybe the pedo has some Russian or Saudi friends that will keep him afloat for whatever secrets he can tell.

    • Smart&Messy says:

      I’d love to know what those people get for their money. Connections in the UK, maybe?

      • sevenblue says:

        Andrew has close connections both to the media and to the government officials. He was working as UK’s trade envoy for years. Those people (especially men) always look out for each other. I am sure he can promise people with money to introduce them to the right people. These deals are not done in front of the cameras anyway.

      • Sienna says:

        Didn’t Jeff Epstein’s money all go missing so he couldn’t pay out his victims from his estate? Surely it was laundered to look legit. Maybe Andrew’s loyalty has been rewarded…

    • Mtl.ex.pat says:

      @susan Collins – that’s what I suspect – it’s cash from nefarious sources….

  5. Smart&Messy says:

    I also wonder why Charles picked and publicised this fight. It just kept reminding people that Andrew still lived like every other royal, just retired. And now we know he will keep doing just that. Of course he has money. His whole life has been about milking his status. He will keep doing it, because people in his circles don’t find issue with him being a sexual predator, most of them don’t even see at such, I bet. It was stupid of KC to draw attention to it for months, and I’m not sure where Slumlord stands in this story. Maybe the Privy Purse (whatever that is) accepted PA’s very legal money, because Slumlord realized he can’t move into Royal Lodge after being exposed as a Slumlord getting rich on public funds.

    • SarahCS says:

      Given how short sighted and stupid they tend to be (he thought Newsnight went well), Charles may think this makes him look tough and that he’s doing the right thing for the taxpayers.

    • Barb Mill says:

      I thought Charles just used this as an excuse to evict the Sussexs from Frogmore and to look frugal.
      I don’t know maybe Camila really did want it although I don’t know why she would.
      Also the Queen might have set something up for Andrew long ago knowing Charles would inherit everything.

  6. Interested Gawker says:

    Cam has Ray Mill, why would she need Royal Lodge?

    “and maybe William will be glad of having Eugenie or Beatrice there in years to come.”

    This, I suspect, was what William was trying to avoid; trying to get this house away from the Yorks and install his own family before it could pass to Beatrice and Eugenie. Charles and William both seem aggrieved that QEII contrived the means to keep Andrew’s family there in perpetuity.

    • Steph says:

      Getting a dowager house set up for Camila on Crown Estates doesn’t make sense bc Pegs would just kick her out.

      • Mayp says:

        You are right @Steph, and I think this is the first time that this idea has been directly floated in the British Press. I think it is only to detract from the recent article in which Royal Lodge was deemed to be a “suitable” home for the Waleses.

        I still think William and Kate want Royal Lodge because then they could live separately in different wings of the home and better keep up the pretense of their happy marriage. I also think the Waleses don’t see Adelaide Cottage as fitting for people in their station🙄. They just don’t want it known that they are shopping for yet another home.

        But you are right. I think Charles is not under the illusion that William wouldn’t do to Camilla what he is trying to do to Andrew (and did to the Sussexes).

    • Gabby says:

      I don’t think Slumlord Willy cares about this particular issue. It has nothing to do with obsessing over and competing with his brother.

  7. Jais says:

    So who’s gonna get frogmore cottage now? Surely it can’t just sit empty for part of the year. Or at least that’s what’s royal reporters cried about when the Sussexes were evicted. How much of claiming he wanted Andrew out was just as much about getting the Sussexes out?

  8. Becks1 says:

    It’s funny that this is now about Camilla, when the undertone of the last year or so was that William was pressuring his father so he could live there.

    Maybe it’s just a coincidence this ended right after the homelessness flop and the slumlord story; but somehow I doubt it.

    • Eurydice says:

      Yes, the Camilla story is new, isn’t it? It could be in reaction to the slumlord story, but I wonder if it isn’t more “Charles puts his affairs in order.” William will have Windsor Castle soon enough.

    • Nic919 says:

      Camilla doesn’t want to take on a burden like Royal Lodge. She has had Ray Mill forever and she owns it completely unlike the lengthy lease for Royal Lodge. This is just a shift to avoid explaining why willow, suddenly doesn’t want another house where he could place Kate.

  9. SarahCS says:

    So did Charles just start funding him more discretely to look like he’s ‘saving’ taxpayers money (HA) or is this from Andrew’s illicit hoard from sketchy folks and other royals around the world. He’s scum but did spend years as a ‘trade ambassador’ weaselling his way into relationships with all and sundry.

    • ML says:

      Good question.

      If what was written above is true, Paedrew won this specific battle by using legitimately sourced funds to pay. However, this blahgart has expensive tastes, an expensive security bill to cover, and expensive maintenance costs. They should continue to pay very close attention to where Paedrew gets money from, because he has a history of trusting and interacting with criminals and corrupt elements of society. He and Fergie don’t have a history of frugality.

  10. A says:

    I still maintain that this has all the markings of a KP hit job gone wrong for three main reasons. 1. We know prior to moving William and Kate were scheming to land a bigger place then what they got, even speculating on possibly kicking out a private lease holding family at another property but were thwarted in there attempts.
    2. KP always tends to over look practical obstacles when launching there pr smears (i.e. when they tried to get involved in Meghan’s lawsuit its pretty clear they had no idea what the law was) In this case it’s pretty clear that getting Andrew out of royal lodge would cost more than the lease was worth!
    3. Finally Charles getting revenge on mummy’s favorite is a much better smoke screen then Mr I fight homelessness while demanding bigger and better homes for myself!

    • Ciotog says:

      Royal Lodge is a great separation home. Sarah & Andrew have shown that.

    • LauraD says:

      ITA @A – this has all stopped because there is no way Slumlord Willy can move into RL and spin it to make himself look good. The Dispatches documentary put paid to that. He couldn’t expect the taxpayers to clear out the mold and put in two additional kitchens whilst several of his own tenants are living in such terrible conditions. He also couldn’t move into yet another “forever” home while bleating on about homelessness. The Slumlord, his wife and his greedy father have been outmanoeuvred by the original Spare. As much as I loathe Andrew I take my hat off to him for sticking to his guns. Sadly, it also means H&M’s eviction was for nothing and Frogmore Cottage will remain empty for the foreseeable future. 😥

      • CherryBerry says:

        I believe this is it LauraD. Slumlord Willie can no longer attain Royal Lodge without criticism after the Dispatches Doc. This makes the most sense to me.

  11. Harla says:

    I have really been enjoying the royals showing the world their blatant hypocrisy, disregard for charity and compassion, their stinginess and petty vindictiveness. It’s a new era for the royals, the world is seeing it and I’m loving that for them! #AbolishtheMonarchy

  12. 809Matriarch says:

    Well we now have concrete proof of Chuck’s using security and residential threats to control family. I can’t stand Andrew but it tickles me that another bully move by Tampon Pop has boomeranged in his face.

    So much for Harry EVER coming back to England. What a wretched existence – relying on the largesse of an oath breaking sovereign.

  13. Gabby says:

    He’s really intent on showing the world why “mummy loved Andrew best” isn’t he?

  14. Libra says:

    No mention of Harry doing the same; thwarting Charles at every turn and being self sufficient without RF help.

  15. Neeve says:

    What does he need three million pounds of security for? He is no longer working and I would assume in Windsor the security is tight since some of the working royals such as the Wales are on the same estate.

    • Josephine says:

      Maybe there are a few people left in the country that don’t like his association with pedophiles? Just kidding. No one cares what he did when the victims were girls.

  16. Hypocrisy says:

    They are always throwing some one under the bus to deflect from any scrutiny (they are C&C and WanK). I think we can all figure out exactly what the traveling Prince of England, Prince Randy Andy did to earn his money and who he was in business with..

  17. Tessa says:

    Charles himself was involved with shady characters like savile and v a n d e r post. Andrew probably knows too much.

  18. Anne Maria says:

    Predation and corruption? At least the U.K. didn’t freely elect such a person.

  19. Murphy says:

    I know they said it’s from “legitimate” sources but sure. The thought of where he could get money and how should embarass them way more than just him being able to stay there.

  20. VAH says:

    King Charles kicked out his very own motherless son! The media should have brandished him a monster then… who does that?! He left him with no safety or security of a family and then acted hurt that Harry wrote a book about his truth. Charles and William should lose their titles with the duchy controversy! The only ‘charities’ they support line their pockets… that’s fraud or money laundering?

  21. QuiteContrary says:

    A pox on all their houses.

  22. L4Frimaire says:

    The royals are so secretive about money that he may have had funds in some foreign bank stashed away before Elizabeth died. Who knows. What this does is leave Charles exposed for the shitty father he was to evict Harry from Frogmore because he is funding his own upkeep, paid the rent and takes no public funding. This Royal Lodge thing was cover for his lousy actions towards Harry. No excuses.

  23. Vuyelwa Ncube says:

    It’s so odd. KC3 is always reversing everything QE2 did.
    I will never forget how quickly he sold her horses
    The Creepy brother doesn’t have money squirreled away
    Even if it’s from a legitimate source the money is paying for something unethical

  24. Tarte Au Citron says:

    Tin foil hat time…. wouldn’t it be epic if it turned out that Fergie or Andrew were a source for the Rich Scumlord stories. Andrew gets his house situation locked down the week after a massive story on the royal finances? Those two will deal with anyone if the cheque is big enough.
    …. Things that make ya go hmmm!

  25. Kadie says:

    Question, didn’t Fergie buy a London house at some point? Right before the QEII tasted the rainbow? Remember questioning if her books sold that well. It would be on brand for these two, to rob one to pay the other through a property loan. It’s also on brand to borrow from their nefarious friends, so…
    And thanks to the comments about Royal Lodge already proving itself a good separation house, now it’s clear why Pegs wants it; he lives the life he wants and continues the cosplay marriage.

  26. Kathy says:

    There is no way The Queen did not provide for her favourite son after her death. She has probably had a bunch of investment funds making money for him for decades, to be passed to his control on her death. This is about the right timescale for a private estate as massive as hers to go through probate and actually to distributed to the beneficiaries.

    The Queen was making millions every year just like Charles now is from
    the Duchy of Lancaster, and no-one has any visibility over what she did with that ‘private’ money other than we know she had a lot of investment interests that she could protect from tax via Queen’s Consent. She had a very long time to prepare for her death. Her children and grandchildren would all have been well provided for – she was not stingy like Charles is.