EXCLUSIVE: Rip-Off Royals! Ex-Prince Andrew's Disgrace 'Being Used as a Smokescreen by The Firm' to 'Distract From Their Blatant Greed'
Ex-Prince Andrew has become the central figure in a fresh storm over royal finances.
Nov. 28 2025, Published 4:25 p.m. ET
The pariah formerly known as prince Andrew has become the central figure in a fresh storm over royal finances – with senior insiders telling RadarOnline.com The Firm is using his disgrace as a smokescreen to divert public attention from their growing unchecked wealth accumulation and secrecy over their finances.
Andrew Windsor's exile from frontline duties – imposed by King Charles, 77, with approval from his heir Prince William, 43 – has dominated headlines since his fall from grace, with the disgraced ex-duke now living largely out of sight alongside his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, 66.
Andrew as a Diversionary Villain
Prince Andrew became the focus of a new storm over royal finances.
But while public focus lingers on Andrew's missteps, campaigners argue the wider monarchy has been quietly expanding its financial privileges.
Republican and former Liberal Democrat minister Norman Baker has declared Andrew's humiliation is a "desperate attempt to insulate the monarchy from the far bigger scandal everyone's missed" – what a rip-off to taxpayers the Royal Family has become.
Baker has just published his book Royal Mint, National Debt: The Shocking Truth about the Royals' Finances, which argues Britain's royal household has grown into a uniquely costly institution.
The Surging Sovereign Grant
Baker published a book exposing the rising cost of the royal family.
Baker's book traces the modern system of royal finance from its origins in 1760, when George III handed over Crown Estate revenues in exchange for a civil list of $1.02million a year – a sum now replaced by the sovereign grant.
That grant has surged from $10million in 2011 to $167.8million in 2025, a compound annual growth rate of more than 22 percent.
Baker notes even once other historic costs are included, annual funding for the British monarchy has still more than quadrupled since 2011.
King Charles' personal wealth is estimated at up to $2.29billion, while the family controls 250,000 acres through estates such as Balmoral and Sandringham and the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall.
A Smokescreen for Unchecked Wealth
'The royals must be delighted they have Andrew as a villain,' a source said.
A source said: "The public is encouraged to look at Andrew, but the financial structures that benefit the monarchy remain untouched.
"In a way, the royals must be delighted they have Andrew as a villain, when the real scandal is how much The Firm costs."
Another insider added: "People think the scandal is Andrew. The real scandal is how much money the institution pulls in while avoiding basic accountability."
Amid the uproar, Sarah Ferguson has reportedly been approached by U.S. networks with offers for a tell-all TV interview special.
A media executive said: "Networks are eager for anything that pulls back the curtain on how the family actually functions, particularly when it comes to money."
The True Cost to the Taxpayer
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Royal events like coronations and funerals added heavy financial strain.
Britain's public cost of maintaining its monarchy is now $167.8million, compared with $58.4million in the Netherlands, $30.5million in Norway, $15.9million in Belgium, $14.6million in Sweden, $13.7million in Denmark, and $9.4million in Spain.
Even these numbers may understate the true differences, Baker argues, as the U.K.'s unique exemptions – including inheritance tax immunity and the treatment of the Duchies – conceal vast additional expenses.
Republic, the anti-monarchy group, estimated in 2024 the real annual cost to the public for the monarchy exceeded $635million, factoring in security, palace maintenance, and lost profits.
Royal events have added further financial strain. Charles' coronation cost at least $91.4million – a figure the Republic places as high as $317.5million – while Queen Elizabeth II's funeral cost $205.7million.
Major events, including Prince Philip's funeral, the weddings of Harry and Meghan and Eugenie, and the Platinum Jubilee, have all massively contributed to the soaring public expenditure.
