Prince Andrew ‘has no long-term future’ at his Royal Lodge home
'This will all probably end in tears, most likely his.'
King Charles believes Prince Andrew has ‘no long term future’ at his Royal Lodge mansion despite reportedly granting him indefinite stay there.
The Duke of York, 63, had been granted a ‘stay of execution’ at his Windsor home after the monarch allowed him more time to prove he can pay for the upkeep of the property.
Charles has previously demanded Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah must move out of the 30-bedroom property into somewhere smaller, such as Frogmore Cottage.
But the pair ‘thrashed out a new deal’ which will see Andrew paying for his Windsor home, which has problems with damp and requires several million-pounds worth of repairs, the Mirror reports.
Royal sources have told the Mail the prince isn’t being ‘realistic’ about his ability to pay for the upkeep of the property.
His annual allowance – believed to be around £250,000 – was stopped after the Jeffrey Epstein scandal forced him to step back from public duties.
One family friend said: ‘It’s all a bit cloud cuckoo-land, I’m afraid. No one, not least His Majesty, believes there is any realistic, long-term chance of the Duke of York being able to keep the roof at Royal Lodge over his head.’
Another added: ‘In all honesty, I would not expect to see the Duke of York of living at Royal Lodge in the long term. If he could pay the upkeep then he would be welcome to stay. But the chances of that happening are, frankly, remote.
‘He and the duchess are… rattling around in a huge property they simply can’t afford.’
The King is unable to simply kick Andrew out of the property, as he took it over from the Crown Estate in 2004 on a long-term lease.
He has since spent millions of pounds on renovations.
If Andrew was persuaded to move, the Crown Estate could end up owing him money.
An insider said: ‘The Duke is clearly not going without a fight.
‘This will all probably end in tears, most likely his.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.