King Charles and Prince Andrew’s row over Royal Lodge escalates

Reports claim members of the family wouldn't want to see Andrew removed from Royal Lodge. Photo / Getty Images

King Charles and Prince Andrew’s real estate row has escalated according to the source close to the disgraced prince.

Speaking to The Times, a friend of Andrew’s said he has no intention of moving out of Royal Lodge despite receiving pressure from Charles and other members of the family to downsize to the smaller more modest Frogmore Cottage quarters – that were previously occupied by Prince Harry and Meghan.

They said the prince believes he won’t be kicked out of the property as the lease is under his name and not a sublet of the royal family’s.

“The lease is in the duke’s name so no one can take that away from him,” the source said.

“It has never been suggested that it could be taken away from him. It’s a long lease with 80 to 90 years left on it.

“This is a lease between him and the Crown Estate. That’s not a matter for the King. It’s a matter for the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The only way you could get him to move out would be through an arrangement – he would have to agree.”

Prince Andrew is standing his ground and refusing to leave Royal Lodge. Photo / AP

The source went on to say the likelihood of Charles kicking his brother out of the lodge is unlikely as it would not work in his favour.

“There are other members of the family who would not want to see a member kicked out,” the source said.

It comes after a source revealed last week that the 63-year-old Duke of York “fears the royals may turn off the utilities to get him out” of the lodge.

A friend told the Mail on Sunday that he is in low spirits and “refusing to budge” from the property, which is understood to have been earmarked for the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children.

“He is so fragile,” the friend told the newspaper. “He’s refusing to see anybody. This has been his family home for the past 20 years. Is it really sensible to kick him out?”

They added: “He’s concerned that now the Coronation is over, the knives are out. He’s worried that the royals might even turn off the utilities to get him out of there. But we’re dealing with human beings, not real estate.”

While Charles may not physically kick Andrew out of the quarters, earlier this year, he made a cut to Andrew’s annual allowance of £249,000 ($500,000), which will ultimately see his brother priced out of the running costs of the 30-room home.