Frogmore Cottage can be used at the discretion of the monarch, while Royal Lodge remains a leased property, owned independently by the Crown Estate, which could be used for other commercial purposes.
But the prince has his own personal lease on Royal Lodge, which lasts until 2078, and if he can pay his own way he can remain at the house, which he has shared with his ex-wife Sarah.
The prince paid considerable amounts up-front when he took on the lease for Royal Lodge in 2003, which has meant lower costs for him in the longer term, making it less of an incentive to leave now.
The house had been in need of renovation and he took on the initial repairs of more than £7.5m. There was also a one-off payment of £2.5m as a way of buying out the annual rental.
He also made a one-off payment of £1m to his landlords, the Crown Estate, according to documents from the National Audit Office.
But there was a clause that if he left the house within 25 years of the start of the lease he would receive compensation for his original payment on repairs – with that amount shrinking each year.
With less than four years left on that arrangement, he would not stand to recoup much of the £7.5m he spent on renovating the house – another incentive not to give up his lease.
But there are still high costs of security and maintenance – and Robert Hardman’s books says the King will no longer be picking up the bills.
He quotes a source as saying: “The duke is no longer a financial burden on the King.”
Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story by Robert Hardman, will be published by Macmillan on 7 November.
