Prince Andrew is reportedly in talks with Buckingham Palace officials over leaving Royal Lodge as controversy around the disgraced royal continues to swirl. Andrew, who resides in the 30-room property with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, has lived at Royal Lodge since 2003 - and according to The Times, he and his family were entitled to live there until 2078.
While King Charles is said to have financially cut off his 65-year-old brother last year, the monarch has been unable to evict him because of Andrew's private tenancy agreement with The Crown Estate. But the Palace is said to be piling on the pressure on the Prince to give up the residence voluntarily. HELLO! has reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.
A copy of the leasehold agreement for Royal Lodge, obtained by The Times, revealed that while Andrew paid £1 million for the lease, in addition to at least £7.5 million for refurbishments that were completed in 2005, the Prince had paid only "one peppercorn (if demanded)" in rent per year since 2003 – which has sparked outrage alongside his connections to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and an alleged Chinese spy scandal.
In an episode of A Right Royal Podcast, Andrew Lownie, the author behind Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, said he believes the only way Andrew could leave Royal Lodge is "voluntarily." "He has this ironclad lease as long as he maintains the terms of that lease," the royal biographer said, adding: "The only way I think he can go is to voluntarily go. The optics look terrible for a non-working royal in a 30-room mansion. And he, of course, is an honourable man and he always puts the country and the monarchy first, so I hope he will do the right thing."
Lownie noted that the "only pressure that could be put on him is how his daughters [Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice] are treated and maybe if the screws are put on to them, in terms of their future, he might do that."
With Andrew signed onto the lease until 2078 and having no public role anymore, it ties up a potentially valuable and prominent royal residence which could be given to another more senior, working member of the royal family.
Speculation around Andrew's living situation has intensified since he decided to give up his titles and honours. In a statement released on 17 October, he said: "In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family. I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first.
© Shutterstock"I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life. With His Majesty's agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me," he continued. It's understood that Andrew's decision was taken in close consultation with his older brother, King Charles, who is understood to be glad by the outcome. The former Duke of York's nephew, the Prince of Wales, who is heir to throne, was also consulted, along with other members of the royal family.
Andrew's statement came days before the release of Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre's memoir, Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice, in which she wrote that the Prince believed having sex with her "was his birthright."
© Samir Hussein/WireImageAndrew, who remains eighth in line to the throne, stepped back from public duties in 2019 following hit disastrous Newsnight interview. At the time he said, "It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work going on in the many organisations and charities that I am proud to support."
"Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission," Andrew added. "I continue to unequivocally regret my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein. His suicide has left many unanswered questions, particularly for his victims, and I deeply sympathise with everyone who has been affected and wants some form of closure. I can only hope that, in time, they will be able to rebuild their lives. Of course, I am willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required."
