In late August 2023, the Prince and Princess of Wales made their annual jaunt up to Balmoral. They rarely stay more than a few days, and they usually time their visits around a weekend, so that they can be photographed going to the local church with the rest of the family. In 2023, King Charles reportedly “ordered” William to chauffeur Prince Andrew to church that Sunday. William drove, Andrew rode shotgun, and Kate was in the back. I’m including the Telegraph’s exclusive photo at the end of the post, the one they ran on social media. It was a big moment even then, that William and Kate were visibly lending their support to a man who paid an eight-figure out-of-court settlement to a human-trafficking survivor and rape victim. Afterwards, sources close to Andrew crowed about how pleased he was with the support from Will and Kate. Two years later, and we’re being told that Will and Kate were “forced” into it by King Charles, who apparently “ordered” them to do the photo-op.
In any case, most people don’t buy William’s current tantrums about how much he hates his uncle. They can’t even keep their stories straight about William’s involvement in Andrew’s current catastrophes – either William is barking orders at MPs, or William is on vacation and not part of the ongoing discussions whatsoever. But the people close to William and Kate sure are complaining a great deal about how much they do NOT want to live close to Andrew. The Waleses literally grabbed 150 acres of a public park to make their own taxpayer-funded estate, but they can’t face Degenerate Andy one mile away?
Prince Andrew is facing mounting pressure to quit Royal Lodge before the Prince and Princess of Wales move into their nearby ‘forever home’, it has been claimed. Royal sources have told this newspaper that William and Kate want to move into Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park before Bonfire Night. The eight-bedroom home is just over a mile from Royal Lodge, where Andrew has lived for more than 20 years, and William is said to want his disgraced uncle out of his 30-room mansion by the time they move in.
Negotiations over the prince’s living arrangements are taking place on a daily basis amid a public outcry after it emerged he only pays a ‘peppercorn rent’ on the lavish property. Andrew cannot legally be evicted from Royal Lodge under the terms of his ‘cast iron’ lease but Palace insiders believe he will inevitably have to move out because of the scale of public anger.
William and Kate are said to be keen to use the half-term break to prepare their children George, 12, Charlotte, ten, and Louis, seven, for their house move.
A source said: ‘Catherine shudders at the thought of living so close to Royal Lodge while Prince Andrew is still in it. William wants him gone before they start to move in next week. It’s not about what Andrew doesn’t want to do anymore. It’s about what he’s going to be told to do.’
The Waleses moved from an apartment in Kensington Palace to Adelaide Cottage, which is just over three miles from Forest Lodge, in August 2022. The MoS has learnt that they had previously wanted to move to Royal Lodge – but Andrew insisted on staying.
‘Them going into Adelaide Cottage was never the plan,’ one well-connected source said last night. ‘But they were forced to because Prince Andrew wouldn’t shift.’ Earlier this year, however, the family set their hearts on Forest Lodge, a Georgian mansion where they hope to raise their children in a more relaxed, rural setting and remain hands-on parents.
Royal Lodge and Forest Lodge are a short walk from each other, with both nestled in quiet corners of Windsor Great Park. Andrew regularly goes horse-riding in the fields and woodland nearby. Sarah Ferguson, Prince Andrew’s ex-wife who also lives in Royal Lodge, was said by one insider to have been excited about the prospect of the Waleses and their young children being neighbours.
As the conversation has moved so heavily into “what would it take for Andrew to leave Royal Lodge,” something occurred to me – if William and Kate really wanted to live in RL, why didn’t THEY buy out Andrew’s lease in 2022-23? That’s the conversation with Charles as well – Andrew has telegraphed for the past two years that he would be willing to leave RL, but he will only do so if someone pays him for what he’s put into RL, etc. It wouldn’t be pretty, and it would have been a terrible look for the Waleses, but how is the current situation a better look for the whole family? If anything, this strengthens Andrew’s negotiations to get more money out of Charles. “Well, you know Will and Kate want me out, so why don’t you add another $5 million and I’ll be out by the end of the week.” And at least they’re now admitting that Will and Kate were the ones trying to force Andrew out of RL in the first place. And now his presence might ruin their Forest Lodge move, the poor lazy sausages!
The Duke of York has attended church in Balmoral with senior royals in an apparent show of unity which insiders say marks an end to any talk of a “family divided”
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https://t.co/aVZMkfHR3B pic.twitter.com/NRn6ts02Pq — The Telegraph (@Telegraph) August 28, 2023
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
