Prince Andrew believes King Charles wants him out of Royal Lodge to give it to the Queen. Photo / Getty Images
Prince Andrew believes King Charles is trying to force him out of his Royal Lodge home because he wants to give it to the Queen, The Daily Telegraph understands.
The prince is refusing to move out of his 30-room residence near Windsor Castle where he lives rent-free, despite coming under pressure from MPs to move to a more modest property.
Andrew has what he regards as a cast-iron lease on Royal Lodge, which means his older brother cannot legally evict him.
Having been forced to give up his Duke of York title – following fresh scandals over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted paedophile, and his relationships with suspected Chinese spies – the prince is facing a possible parliamentary inquiry into his living arrangements.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chairman of the Commons public accounts committee, confirmed he would be writing to the Treasury and the Crown Estate Commissioners “seeking further information on the lease arrangements for Royal Lodge”. The answers to the questions will determine whether the committee takes the matter further.
Reports of the King wanting the prince to move out of Royal Lodge pre-date the latest royal crisis, but the idea has been given fresh impetus by the disclosure that the prince is not paying rent.
Family friends have told the Telegraph that he believes the King has an ulterior motive in wanting him to leave Royal Lodge.
He and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, his daughters, have told friends that the King wants Royal Lodge to be the Queen’s base in Windsor should she outlive him. It would mirror the living arrangements of Queen Elizabeth II’s mother Queen Elizabeth, who lived in Royal Lodge when she became a widow and moved out of Windsor Castle.
The King’s aides flatly deny the suggestion, but the prince has nevertheless become fixed on the idea, which surfaced a year ago, that Royal Lodge was being earmarked for the Queen.
In truth, Her Majesty, who became a member of the royal family by marriage in 2005, is far less grand than Prince Andrew and is unlikely to want to live alone in such a large residence even for only part of the year.
She still owns Ray Mill House, the Grade II-listed family house in Wiltshire she bought with the divorce settlement from Andrew Parker Bowles, her first husband, and it is said to be the place where she feels most at home.
Earlier this year, she chose Ray Mill as the location for her official 78th birthday portrait, and in March the King bought the Old Mill estate next to Ray Mill to prevent it being turned into a wedding venue and ruining the Queen’s privacy.
In discussions about Royal Lodge, the prince has been immovable in his opinion that he has every right to remain there.
He paid £1 million ($2.3m) for a 75-year lease on the property in 2003, and spent more than £7.5m renovating it at his own expense as part of the same agreement.
The prince has argued that he has saved the taxpayer money by paying for the renovations – and the considerable annual upkeep of the mansion – out of his own funds and does not agree with the view of some MPs that he is costing the taxpayer money by living rent-free.
The prince’s representatives have put forward the view that Royal Lodge could not be rented out by the Crown Estate – effectively an arm of the Treasury – because of security concerns over its proximity to Windsor Castle.
Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales, who has no time for his uncle but remains on good terms with his cousins Beatrice and Eugenie, has made it known that he wants the issue of Royal Lodge settled before he becomes King.
Sir Geoffrey said he would be asking questions of the Treasury and the Crown Estate as part of his committee’s remit “to examine the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of public spending, and ensure the taxpayer is receiving best value for money”.
He said: “We will review the response we receive to our forthcoming correspondence and will consider at that time whether to seek further information.”
He also said the committee would be keeping a close eye on the Crown Estate’s annual report when it comes out next year.
Buckingham Palace was approached for comment.
Sign up to Herald Premium Editor’s Picks, delivered straight to your inbox every Friday. Editor-in-Chief Murray Kirkness picks the week’s best features, interviews and investigations. Sign up for Herald Premium here.