The British papers and politicians are piling pressure on Prince Andrew and King Charles in recent days. This hasn’t happened since 2019, when the palace completely misread the public reaction to Andrew’s BBC interview. The public and political backlash to that interview was so significant, QEII had to order Andrew to resign from public life. It turned out to be a face-saving half-measure, but still, she didn’t even want to do that, so it was something. What’s happening this week might be even bigger. They dusted off Norman Baker – a longtime critic of the royals and their shadowy financials – to write a piece in the Mail about how the f–k Andrew can afford to live in (rent-free) Royal Lodge, and how it’s a disastrous look for the Windsors in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis – you can read that Mail piece here. But what’s really extraordinary is just how many British politicians are talking about these issues openly.
Sir Keir Starmer and No 10 have refused to comment on Andrew’s future at Royal Lodge. The prime minister’s official spokesman said he would not “get drawn into hypotheticals about living arrangements of members of the royal family”.
The approach has led to frustration among ministers, who believe that Starmer needs to take a stronger position. One said: “We should be throwing him under the bus. He does us no favours. Privileges are not a right, they’re bestowed on you by the public….He’s living rent-free in Royal Lodge, despite having shown zero remorse. He should stop sponging off the state, given he’s not a working royal. I’ve had lots of emails from people demanding he be stripped of his titles.”
Another said: “I don’t know why the government can’t take a view on it. It’s frankly preposterous. Not least because historically parliament did take a view on these things … Living in the lodge rent-free means there’s not more money going into the Crown Estate, which would in turn be fed back to the exchequer.”
A third called Andrew’s continued residency in the lodge “pretty detestable”, while another said: “It’s outrageous he’s continuing to live there. It makes me really angry thinking about him sitting there, totally idle. I don’t know how it’s funded but it’s not like he’s doing a hard day’s work. Visitors to Royal Lodge reported he was sitting around playing video games. I don’t know why he should be doing that in a mansion on the Windsor Estate.”
A group of MPs have also written to Starmer calling for the government to formally strip Andrew of his titles, while others are preparing a bill to put before the Commons. Four out of five Britons want Andrew to be formally stripped of his dukedom, a poll shows. The YouGov survey showed that 63 per cent of nearly 6,700 adults questioned were “strongly” in favour of formal removal of the dukedom and 17 per cent “somewhat” supporting the idea, while 6 per cent were opposed to it and 14 per cent did not know.
Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, called for Andrew to leave Royal Lodge, saying he had disgraced the nation and the public were “sick” of him. In the comments, which went well beyond the Conservatives’ official position that Andrew’s future “is a matter for the Palace”, Jenrick said the prince should no longer be allowed to live in homes owned by the taxpayer.
“It’s about time Prince Andrew took himself off to live in private and make his own way in life,” Jenrick told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “He has disgraced himself, he has embarrassed the royal family time and again. I don’t see why the taxpayer, frankly, should continue to foot the bill at all. The public are sick of him.”
Dame Meg Hillier, the chair of the Treasury select committee, suggested MPs could look into the Crown Estate’s handling of the lease.
“Where money flows, particularly where taxpayers’ money is involved, or taxpayers’ interests are involved, parliament has a responsibility to have a light shine upon that and we need to have answers,” she said.
When asked whether he was comfortable with Andrew remaining at Royal Lodge, Peter Kyle, the business and trade secretary, said: “I think it’s pretty obvious what I think as a person. I am deeply, deeply affected, moved and disgusted by what Virginia Giuffre and others went through.”
This is a unique moment in royal history actually. None of this ^^ happened after Andrew’s 2019 BBC Newsnight interview. None of this happened after QEII and then-Prince Charles signed off on Andrew settling out of court with Virginia Giuffre in 2022. Finally, there’s a majority public opinion and enough political backing to actually change something. While I still believe that the deal struck between Andrew and King Charles last week involved Andrew staying at Royal Lodge, the next move is that the government will begin to apply pressure to Charles to evict Andrew. I don’t think Charles can stick to his end of the deal for much longer, not in the face of this kind of loud, mainstream political pressure. Ten bucks says that, by the end of business on Friday, someone announces that Andrew will move out of Royal Lodge.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
How is that justice ? This is just a distraction!!! Andrew has to be investigated by the police if you can call whatever the UK police does an investigation… 😂
I agree! Not only should he not be living in Royal Lodge but he should be in jail.
And WanK move in
And pay a peppercorn in rent. Truly there should be more transparency in how much the royals pay in rent whether it’s at Forest Lodge or Royal Lodge. And not sources say they pay whatever but the actual truth and the lease set out for the public to see. The public should know and see if they think the Royal is doing enough “work” to constitute a damn peppercorn in rent.
“Where money flows, particularly where taxpayers’ money is involved, or taxpayers’ interests are involved, parliament has a responsibility to have a light shine upon that and we need to have answers,” she said.
I sure hope this starts a precedence though, and they can use Andrew’s eviction to call for further transparency on ALL of taxpayer-funded BRF nonsense.
This is exactly what will happen. either they or Charles will take over Andrew’s lease (however that would work, if they just need to buy him out or something) and then the Wales will move in to the house they have wanted for years, for the cost of a few hundred thousand pounds. The Crown Estate will pay for renovations and the press will dutifully protect them.
But Forest Lodge throws a whole new wrinkle in this and I bet you they are SO MAD that this is happening right now, when a few months ago would have been more convenient for them.
they dont care about the victims, they care about how this situation can be used to their advantage.
All W&K gotta do is say they realized the move to Forest Lodge was too much inconvenience for the locals (it is!). So they’re giving up their “forever home” to go to the Royal Lodge. Which of course they’re not happy about since it’s connected to Andrew.
Just came here to say exactly this
Agree 100% with @Vs. Charles and William are thrilled we’re just talking about titles and Royal Lodge, and whether Charles or William is doing titles better. Because that means we’re not talking about a public investigation by either the Met or Parliament (in the process of formally removing his titles). Because a public investigation would reveal more about how the BRF has been shielding Andrew, and that could be really damaging to the monarchy. Norman Baker’s the only one with the right idea. So here, have another article about Royal Lodge.
Plus one to all of this, @ME AT HOME
Where money flows, particularly where taxpayers’ money is involved, or taxpayers’ interests are involved, parliament has a responsibility to have a light shine upon that and we need to have answers,”
This should be the focus here, beyond Andrew being investigated for trafficing. Both should happen. How negligent of Starmer to say, the RF should just keep the details to themselves. If the same things came to light about corrupt NHS execs or other public service execs would he say the same?? Why is he supporting the misguided notion that all of that wealth just belongs to the RF to profit off of however they see fit?? After the duchy income and slamlord stuff came out they did nothing either, which I found equally jaw dropping complicity.
honestly the way all crown estate leases are handled should be examined and investigated. Andrew never should have been allowed to have this kind of lease in the first place. The monarch should not have a vast supply of houses to provide to various family members.
The monarch should get Windsor and BP, the heir should get Clarence House, and that should be that. Sandringham and Balmoral are trickier bc they are private property but even that is a scam bc there is no inheritance tax paid on those properties.
Yes they should all be investigated. There is no reason for this peppercorn lease to exist. And let’s be real, the Wales are probably getting a peppercorn lease for FL. And why the f-ck should they? They are already getting paid SG money for their “work.” Plus the duchy money. Plus all their untaxed properties. Why give them more?
He needs to be investigated. Period. End of. That anyone over there thinks kicking him out of Royal Lodge or sending him off to some other country is any sort of justice is insulting. Well I shouldn’t say they think this is justice because I don’t think they care at all about that. Which is even more insulting.
🎯. But William and Charles don’t want an investigation, presumably because that could reveal their role in shielding him. So instead they’re feeding us guff about titles, Royal Lodge, and whether current Charles or future William is taking the harder line with Andrew. And how we should have sympathy for poor Kate living next door to Andrew. It’s all meaningless guff and distraction.
He needs to be evicted and sent into exile in Switzerland or wherever.
I think this might end up being really damaging for Charles and William too. They’ve known about it for years and have still allowed him to appear regularly in public with them.
Lots of people are pointing out that everything they’re doing at the moment is to protect their privileges and wealth. And coming as it does in a time of increased scrutiny about the work or lack thereof done by William and Kate, and the huge sums of money they get from the taxpayer, it really exposes the rot behind the pomp and circumstance.
Agree. He cannot stay in the UK. He needs to be exiled. Somewhere where he is more inconspicuous. He is deluded though. He probably thinks he can wait it out. That seems to be his tactic.
It’s worked for him so far. But I think he might be coming to the end of the line. William will have to cut him loose for self-preservation. And he’s only William’s uncle so he can’t rely on family feeling to save him the way he could with the queen and Charles.
Charles and William must have known about Andrew and Epstein just like Trump and Melania must have known about Epstein. They were Epstein’s friends for several years. Melania is threatening to sue a journalist who is coming out with a book about her relationship with Epstein and now the journalist is threatening to sue her back. As Andrew’s brother and heir to the throne, Charles had/has a responsibility to hold Andrew accountable for any crimes committed. It’s a Pandora’s Box.
The UK needs to keep its own criminals. Why does Switzerland have to put up with the pedo????
William and Kate have Forest Lodge with 150 acres of stolen public land as their newest “forever home”, so why the ramped up pressure on Andrew to leave Royal Lodge? What’s so special about it that they need him to leave? Why have the unleashed hounds focussing on Andrew’s home, on which he has a valid long-term lease, the terms of which were typical of the peppercorn rent leases which were given to royals at that time? Have things broken down so much between the Waleses that they need not one, but TWO massive forever homes within near proximity of each other?
I’m beginning to believe that William continues to covet Royal Lodge because of all the royal residences, its features most closely resemble those of his brother’s Montecito mansion. That, and it still chaps his ass that his uncle said NO to him, so he’s using Virginia’s memoir as a way of exacting his own brand of personal revenge, because it’s one thing that Andrew definitely cares about.
Let this be a lesson to all the sycophants in the family: unless you amass your own fortune and can leave, you will always be at the mercy of the monarch and heirs, and if they are as vindictive as William and Charles, then your life will be forever miserable as you will need to continuously jump through hoops to appease them, and even THEN, everything which has been “gifted” to you will be yanked away on a whim at any moment through a campaign of public harassment – even when you hold what you think is a secure position/home.
I also think, though, that William is playing with FIRE here. Andrew has powerful contacts who I wouldn’t doubt have vast quantities of information of WILLIAM’s own skeletons… grab the popcorn people. May they all go down in a bonfire for the ages.
More rooms. They want to compete with Montecito.
William, Kate, and Charles want us to about Forest Lodge and titles in abeyance, instead of an actual investigation along the lines Norman Baker is talking about.
Unemployed parasite who manipulated and sponged off his mother his whole life, spends his days playing video games, a misogynist who believes he’s entitled to rape any woman or child he pleases and sics trolls on them when they speak out? Sounds like Andrew has a very promising and lucrative future in the manosphere. Hell, if he was American, he’d already have a cabinet position.
And a podcast!
Again…the Royal 🇬🇧 Family has done NOTHING regarding being proactive about that deplorable inhuman…it’s Virginia settling scores from beyond the grave & public pressure that’s doing this…
Just to be clear😠
How long before Royal Lodge is William’s new forever home?
Off with his head
So he’ll move from one free royal house to another? He should be moving to a jail. He should be talking to the FBI. He will never have to truly answer for his crimes.
Big deal they want his titles and home. What they really need to yell about is getting him investigated and prosecuted! That is what they really need to yell about.
Is it me or is Keir Starmer a big wuss? This is a chance to finally hold the royals accountable and with public support. He could help himself if he showed some spine and unleashed the hounds to investigate the pedo prince. Instead, he dithers and ducks. Apparently, he never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity.
keir starmer and his government has been such a disappointment since they have been elected. They talked a big talk when they weren’t in power but they are turning to be conservative lite. No backbone, still at it with their own chumocracy and cruelty.
As I said yesterday it would seem the accepted way to punish members of the royal family is take away their homes. However why isn’t there any pressure for Andrew and Fergie to be investigated or talk to the FBI? It’s also interesting that these people want Andrew to leave royal life but are so angry that Harry chose to do the same.
Is the holdup with investigating Andrew because the age of consent is 16 in Britain, and Virginia was 17 when she met Andrew on British soil?
In which case, Norman Baker may have the most productive angle: investigate where Andrew’s money comes from, including both his shady business dealings and those in the BRF who support him financially. It would also be great to know who in the BRF knew what, when, about his pedo ties, but that might be harder to determine without a rogue palace staffer?
(FWIW, Baker’s book And What Do You Do? was a fantastic exploration of BRF grifting, including a whole chapter on how William and Kate grifted multiple vacations during their dating years and early marriage. He has a new book coming out in November and I’ve pre-ordered.)
Virginia Giuffre was trafficked to the UK and didn’t consent to be raped, no matter her age.
Virginia was a victim of a human trafficking of a minor. She couldn’t give consent. Anyway, the government knew all the sh*t Andrew did, because he has his royal security when he raped Virginia and other victims. There are more men like Andrew in powerful positions in UK, they all protect one another, because if they let him get investigated, all of their dirt may become public.
In the US too
There is a lot of anger here about Andrew, the press have gone in hard, and there are calls to for him to face up to whatever criminal investigation is coming.
It’s also opened a can of worms about how the royals are financed (a lot of people don’t really know, there’s been so much secrecy about it).
Norman Baker has a new book coming out soon on royal finances, and it couldn’t have been better timed.
A couple of thoughts after reading this:
1) Andrew should be investigated, actually investigated, then prosecuted.
1a) Andrew is obviously a creep and a criminal but I’m almost more interested in all the other rapists who we don’t know the name of. How many men participated in this rape and human trafficking scheme and we only have whispers of them; how many have gone totally unnamed?
2) It shouldn’t bother me, but it’s going to, that probably the only real consequence that Andrew will face is losing Royal Lodge to William and Kate. That is so totally not the point here, but it rankles for some reason.
Why is this all so enraging now? Yes Virginia’s book sounds like a horror novel (but unfortunately not fiction) and there are some more details about Andrew – but a lot of what she said re: Andrew was known years ago. Certainly by his disastrous 2019 interview. I mean I’m glad there finally seems to be a fire under people’s asses to “do something” but I would have thought the 12 million settlement would have lit that fire. Were people (ie politicians and the royals) just hoping it would all go away and people would forget about Andrew?
Honestly this should be a catalyst into ALL the royals’ finances. They’re all sketchy, they’re all scamming the british public for all they can – lets pull the curtain back completely and see what’s going on. Increase the oversight into their houses, finances, RPOs, transportation costs, etc.
A lot of what Andrew did was with taxpayer money so lets make sure that can’t happen again.
It’s enraging now because someone with deep contacts throughout British media and whose communications people have a WhatsApp group with these contacts and have used the in the past to whip up outrage against another couple wants the house that Andrew lives in for himself and believes that he has the perfect excuse to grab it.
I know William wants to hide his “separation” from Kate, but perhaps he has a whole brood of children with one of his sidepieces and wants to stash them there? Because otherwise, I cannot see why Andrew’s residence should be such a prime focus of all this outrage.
You’re right: ALL of the royal houses owned by taxpayers should come under scrutiny.
Nothing’s going to happen.
So if they do get Parliament to strip Andrew’s titles, doesn’t that make it easier for William to go after Harry’s?
I mean, yeah. Who cares at this time? Will is going after Harry for made up reasons all the time anyway. I hope he goes after H&M’s and their children’s titles, it will accelerate the fall of that stupid system.
So many opinions and differing stories in the news outlets. Andrew paid millions “upfront” in upkeep in lieu of rent for the duration of his lease. That was from a major news source , as I recall. So his lease is still valid and the big issue now is can he be kicked out because of inability to pay for upkeep? Why is the “no rent” at the forefront when that’s not the issue?
Starting to wonder how long it takes for another cancer story to come out of the house of Windsor. It’s the only thing that got the royal racist story out of the news.
The sheer number of years he was allowed to gallivant around the globe on the British taxpayer dime, taking private jets, staying in five-star hotels with extensive staff, expecting sex workers and “willing” women to be supplied by his hosts while he golfed and did his own dirty deals with spies and oligarchs on the side….it went on for nearly a decade, with many complaints from those forced to host and coordinate for him, and they just went nowhere because he was the Queen’s son.
How many crimes did he commit during just those years? The financial corruption is so deep and so appalling, and then you consider his crimes against women and girls….It’s truly staggering.
I don’t know: is it possible that the politicians are making this public fuss and reaction and call for Andrew to be stripped of titles and run out of the lodge in hopes that the public will be satisfied and mistakenly take that for a balanced scale and forget about Andrew being investigated?
Question, why is Royal Lodge so coveted by Scooter and the Mrs?
This is more distraction. The Crown Estate drew up the lease and Andrew has adhered to its terms regarding the rent. Edward’s lease is incredibly favourable, not in the same league as for Royal Lodge, but mind boggling. He extended the original lease to 150 years a few years ago for £5 million, has the right to rent out ancillary buildings to generate income that he keeps, and pays about £10,000 a month in rent. The house sits in significant acreage and within the Windsor security cordon. A quick online search has a lovely 7 bed Georgian house, with 3 acres of land, in the same locale asking £45,000 per month.
There is never going to be any inquiry into the financial dealings of the Crown Estate, it’s a Pandora’s Box.
And now proposed new law to give the King the power to remove titles on his own initiative, following a recommendation of a joint committee of Parliament?
Thus, paving the way for Bulliam to go on a rampage and punish his brother by doing exactly that!