Standoff: Prince Andrew Refuses to Leave His $40M Royal Lodge During Construction in Case King Charles Evicts Him
June 12 2023, Published 2:30 p.m. ET
A tense standoff between Prince Andrew and his brother King Charles III emerged after the Duke of York refused to leave his royal home for scheduled renovations, RadarOnline.com has learned.
While King Charles attempted to scale down the monarchy, his brother refused to vacate his Royal Lodge over fear that he "might never get back in."
Amid scandal from his connection to the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, Prince Andrew was stripped of his military titles and Royal patronage by his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in early 2022.
Prince Andrew inherited the massive 30-room lodge — valued at $37 million — after Queen Elizabeth passed. Upon assuming the lodge under a long-term lease, Prince Andrew poured in £7 million of his fortune for renovations.
According to the Daily Mail, more construction was planned for the lodge this summer, including a roof repair that was also paid for by Prince Andrew.
Given his investments, Prince Andrew wasn't willing to budge on his brother's request that he move out.
According to a source, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's old home, Frogmore Cottage, was available for Prince Andrew to temporarily move into while renovations are underway. The only problem with the proposal was that Frogmore Cottage was viewed as a "downgrade" for the disgraced Royal.
The insider noted that the standoff between Prince Andrew and King Charles had become "farcical."
"They originally wanted Andrew out of Royal Lodge so that the property could be renovated and prepared for new lodgers," the source explained. "But he is adamant that, as he has so many years left to run on his lease and he spent millions from his own fortune doing up the place that he is not going to leave his home."
"He feels very strongly, perhaps with some justification, that they are moving the goalposts suddenly and it is hugely unfair," the insider added on Prince Andrew.
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Technically, Prince Harry and Markle still had the lease for Frogmore Cottage, which was up this July. However, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex gave notice earlier this year that they did not intend to renew the lease.
Princess Eugenie, her husband, and their two children are currently living in Harry and Meghan's old digs. Two weeks ago, Princess Eugenie welcomed her second child and it was unclear how Prince Andrew's potential move would affect her living situation.
"No one knows how it will be resolved but Andrew is insistent," the source continued. "It was clearly convenient for Harry and Meghan to leave Frogmore as they were paying for a property they don't really use. But Royal Lodge is Andrew's home."
