Prince William and Princess Kate’s ‘true feelings’ on Royal Lodge as row continues
As the row over Windsor's Royal Lodge rumbles on between King Charles and Prince Andrew, an expert weighs in on how the Prince and Princess fo Wales might feel
The saga of the Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park rumbles on, with His Majesty the King reportedly pressuring his younger brother, Prince Andrew, to leave the 30-bedroom property.
Recent reports suggest that The King has stopped paying for the Duke of York’s private security detail in a not-so-subtle bid to persuade him to downsize.
Speaking on the Palace Confidential podcast, royal expert Richard Eden said: “Prince William and his family are not itching to move in. They’re elsewhere on the estate and there’s big bills that will have to be paid for repairing the Royal Lodge – the last thing William and Katherine want is to be lumbered with a PR disaster of having to spend millions on on another house.”
Prince Andrew is required to “repair, renew, uphold, clean and keep in repair and, where necessary, rebuild” the mansion, according to the 75-year lease agreement granted to him in 2003 by the Crown Estate. The National Audit Office (NAO) report into the lease agreement stated that the Crown Estate’s independent advisors had advised that the refurbishment work would cost at least £5 million.
It has previously been reported that Andrew has paid more than £200,000 for roof repairs on the royal mansion last summer – a sum which was described as an “interim payment” and further repairs are needed. A source told the Mirror: “The Duke of York has a clear responsibility for the upkeep of the Royal Lodge estate, which is certainly not happening.”
But the Duke of York said to be determined to hang onto the Royal Lodge, which is seen as having more prestige than the smaller Frogmore Cottage – despite the fact that the cottage underwent a £2.4million renovation in 2019.. The Daily Mail’s royal editor, Rebecca English, said: “Andrew very much is the man that doesn’t want to go.”
Rebecca added: ”The King is funding this out of his own pocket and [sources] said to me his patience is not limitless on this.”
However Richard Eden commented: “The property is owned by the crown estate, there’s no great reason to get rid of him other than the costs of security which the King is paying for. But, the King has a lot of money and it just seems petty that he is trying to get rid of him.”
The controversy is sure to add something of a frosty atmosphere to Balmoral, where both King Charles and Prince Andrew are spending the summer.
