Last year, Buckingham Palace leaked a particularly awful story with multiple parts. One part: King Charles evicted the Sussex family from Frogmore Cottage, their British home for which they had a valid lease, and which had been a gift from QEII. The Sussexes also spent millions renovating and refurbishing what had been a dilapidated shack, and there’s no indication that they were repaid any part of that investment. The second part: Charles planned to evict Prince Andrew from Royal Lodge and then let Andrew live, rent-free, in Frogmore Cottage. Andrew refused because he also has a valid lease and suddenly the king respects a lease agreement. Last fall, Charles and Andrew reportedly worked out some kind of deal which would have Andrew continuing to live in Royal Lodge, so Frogmore Cottage is just… sitting there empty, I guess. But maybe Andrew will find a way to slither over there after all, because Royal Lodge is apparently falling into disrepair.
Prince Andrew’s home appears to be crumbling and desperately in need of repair, potentially reigniting the row with Charles and William over whether he should still live there. The disgraced Duke of York, who has no apparent income, was reportedly told last year to leave the 30-room Royal Lodge by the King. There were claims Andrew, 64, could not meet the £400,000-a-year upkeep of the 19th century, Grade II-listed property, which has a pool and 90 acres of land.
But Andrew refused to budge from the Queen Mother’s former home in Windsor Great Park. It was reported in October last year he did a deal to stay if he kept up repairs. But our exclusive pictures today show what seems to be worsening cracks to brickwork, as well as paint peeling from an exterior building.
A source said: “The Duke of York has a clear responsibility for the upkeep of the Royal Lodge estate, which is certainly not happening. The state of the residence will be of great concern to the King after everything that has gone on and been discussed in regards to the house. “Prince Andrew was told he must take charge of the necessary renovations or he will have no cause to stay in the house.
“There is no doubt the King will be alarmed at the true state of the residence after the duke assured him everything was in hand.” Royal expert Ingrid Seward, editor in chief of Majesty magazine and author of My Mother and I, said: “The reason Charles has the problems with Andrew is because of Andrew’s inflated sense of self-importance, which is why he feels he should be living in a palace or somewhere similar.”
There have been no recent signs of Prince Andrew driving his own £80,000 Range Rover Sport, with a private number plate based on his royal title. Andrew has been at the centre of a row over his use of a special royal Range Rover, despite no longer being a working royal and having been stripped of his armed police protection. Previously it cost the public up to £3m a year.
Ms Seward said: “Despite extensive renovation, which was part of Andrew’s agreement with the Crown Estates when he took it over, Royal Lodge is extremely expensive to run. As always, [Andrew’s] financial situation is shrouded in mystery. If he has the cash, he’s clearly not using it on the upkeep of Royal Lodge. “The upkeep of a house of such magnitude could cost him everything he has and more. The late Queen was said to have given him ‘absolute assurance’ he could live there as long as he wanted. Charles has no wish to upset his brother. He won’t force him out, but neither does he have any wish to finance him for the rest of his life.”
Despite palace officials suspecting he cannot afford the Lodge’s annual upkeep, the duke claims he is financially secure owing to his inheritance from the late Queen and money coming in from a 22-book deal Sarah signed.
One minor thing I’ll say in Andrew’s defense is that Charles has shown that he does not respect lease agreements, nor is there any guarantee that Andrew would ever be “paid back” for the money he puts into Royal Lodge, so why would he bother with upkeep? I understand that calculation, because Andrew could be evicted at any moment and he could never receive the money he’s already put into the property. That being said, I don’t think Charles actually gives a sh-t. Charles has more real estate than he knows what to do with, and the whole point of the Royal Lodge/Frogmore calculation was to insult and degrade the Sussexes. Andrew can sit in that crumbling mansion for the rest of his life as far as Charles is concerned. Now, Prince William will have an issue with that – William is apparently desperate to move into Royal Lodge.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.