I’ve mentioned this a few times, but it’s still so odd to me – the Daily Mail stopped publishing their “Ephraim Hardcastle” column online for nearly three months. The Hardcastle column is written by anonymous Mail reporters, and it’s used to break/spread gossip about various royals, aristocrats and celebrities without one of their regular columnists having to take the hit. In the period of time where the columns were not being published online, the print editions were being pretty shady about Prince William’s work-shy ways. Well, the Hardcastle came back online and they’re obsessed with… Prince Andrew. Specifically, Andrew and his money and whether he can afford to stay in Royal Lodge. This was published last week:

Keeper of the Privy Purse Sir Michael Stevens has handed over the royal abacus after seven years and one final task requested by the King: delving into the murky world of Prince Andrew’s finances. He had offered his resignation after the death of the Queen but Charles asked him to investigate reports that his brother had looming financial difficulties and might do something unwise to make ends meet. It was a bruising encounter.

Royals, especially Andrew, don’t take kindly to flunkeys rooting about in their private affairs. Sir Michael’s last task was to assure the King that Andrew was in surprisingly rude financial health. A grateful Charles this week presented Sir Michael with a silver-gilt-framed signed photograph, cufflinks and the GCVO in thanks for services rendered.

[From The Daily Mail]

“Surprisingly rude financial health” means that Andrew has more money than anyone realized and no one knows where he got any of it. Andrew’s finances are legitimately murky – no one knows exactly how much he has stashed away, or where any of it came from. Andrew’s secretive cash supply is how Andrew has managed to “make repairs” to Royal Lodge and thus stay up to date on his generous lease. Speaking of, this is from a Hardcastle column this week:

The King may have suspended his bid to remove brother Andrew from Royal Lodge but the Crown Estate, which owns the property, is losing patience with the disgraced prince.

It appears that Andrew, who paid upwards of £7.5million on renovations when given a 75-year lease in 2003, has maintained the interior but there is a rumbling dispute about who is responsible for extensive external repairs to the 30-room mansion.

Andrew should be safe until 2028. He is entitled to a partial rebate on his outgoings if given the order of the boot at the end of his first 25 years of his lease.

[From The Daily Mail]

I’ve come around to the idea that this years-long storyline about whether Andrew will be evicted from Royal Lodge is one big deflection for Charles. Andrew has a valid lease, he has the money (however questionable) to maintain the property, and Charles really only rattles the “we should evict Andrew” cage whenever he needs to change the subject. Andrew isn’t going anywhere. For Charles, you would think that the bigger concern would be “what has Andrew done to make all of this money?” As in, what kind of access has been sold, who is Andrew in business with, how far does it all go. But of course, it’s easier to just focus on the Royal Lodge question.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.