King Charles’s bitter feud with Prince Andrew is set to cause a “radical shake-up” at Buckingham Palace, a commentator has exclusively told GB News.
The Duke of York stepped down from royal life after his infamous Newsnight interview in 2019, but Queen Elizabeth II’s son still lives at Royal Lodge on the Windsor Estate.
He was told earlier this year by the King that he would need to leave and downsize into more affordable accommodation.
Charles suggested Andrew move to Frogmore Cottage, the former home of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
King Charles’s bitter feud with Prince Andrew set to cause ‘radical shake-up’ at Buckingham Palace
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Like the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Andrew lost his right to taxpayer-funded security after being stripped of his royal duties.
Earlier this month, Prince Andrew was told his “£1million-a-year” allowance would be axed.
Royal commentator Robert Hardman alleged the monarch instructed his Keeper of the Privy Purse to sever Andrew’s annual personal allowance. The Duke of York relied on the allowance to fund his living expenses and security team.
However, Prince Andrew has subsequently convinced Palace authorities to let him stay as he is able to cover the costs himself, according to claims in The Times.
Andrew has proved he has sufficient funds from legitimate sources to support himself, though it has not been confirmed where the money is coming from.
A source said: “If Andrew can pay for his own upkeep with legitimate means, then it is not an issue. But the King’s patience has run out when it comes to funding his brother’s lifestyle in a way that does not fit his status.”
Gareth Russell, a royal commentator, spoke exclusively to GB News about Prince Andrew and the mystery surrounding his source of income.
He said: “I don’t think it’s the case that [King Charles] doesn’t care where the money comes from.
Prince Andrew pictured horseriding in Royal Lodge in Windsor earlier this year
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“They are restricted by legal matters, which is that they can’t really ask where the money is coming from.”
Russell claimed this could cause a “radical shake-up” in the future about the way Royal Estate contracts are drawn up.
He explained: “Now this may mean, in the future, there’ll be a radical shake-up about how these sort of grace and favour Royal Estate contracts are drawn up, because it’s become quite clear that the Crown doesn’t have the authority over some of its own properties that it might have in an ideal world.
“So maybe we’ll see going forward that leases like the one that currently exists with Royal Lodge just won’t be issued again.”
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Prince Andrew has lived at Royal Lodge since 2003, with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson moving into the property in 2008.
Earlier this year, Andrew began renovating his Windsor home after falling behind on repairs, as he remained “determined” to hold onto the property.
Prince Andrew’s 75-year lease agreement with the Crown Estate states that he must “repair, renew, uphold, clean and keep in repair and where necessary rebuild” the home.
The upkeep of Royal Lodge has cost the duke hundreds of thousands of pounds in annual maintenance work. However, work has gone mostly uncompleted, hence why the King was pushing his brother to relocate to somewhere with fewer upkeep expenses.
