Last weekend, there was a stupid back-and-forth between Buckingham Palace and Prince Andrew over his lease on Royal Lodge, a giant mansion on the Royal Windsor estate. Andrew was given a sweetheart deal on Royal Lodge by his mother, and he signed a 75-year lease on the property for only a fraction of what it would truly cost to rent the mansion. There were reports that King Charles was trying to drive out Andrew by taking away his allowance or something, like Charles had a specific goal of evicting Andrew out of Royal Lodge somehow. “Sources” were going back and forth about it for days. Well, apparently Andrew isn’t worried and he’s not planning on leaving.
Prince Andrew “will not leave” his grace and favour home on the Windsor estate amid claims the King wants to evict him, sources have revealed. The disgraced Duke of York has told friends there is “no chance” he is moving from the sprawling 30 bedroom Royal Lodge after spending millions of his own money on renovations.
The royal’s handsome annual allowance of £250,000 is set to be slashed from April after the King warned his family to “tighten their belts” amidst incoming budget cuts, leaving Andrew reportedly fearing he would be unable to pay his bills. In 2003, Andrew signed a 75-year lease for the property, paying £250 a week for the home, which he shares with his ex-wife Sarah, the Duchess of York. But in recent years he is understood to have spent more £7.5 million renovating the premises.
However, sources have revealed the Duke has assured his own family he is financially secure and believes the King would not evict him. Andrew, 63, stopped receiving public money when he was forced to step down from royal duties in 2019 over sex abuse alleged by Virginia Giuffre, one of billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s victims, which he denies. But he is understood to have netted a substantial windfall from the Queen’s will following her passing last September.
One source said: “He (said) he’s not leaving, there is no chance that will happen and even if the King wanted him how would that work? The King won’t evict him so there is no chance it will come to that. If he (the King) wants to spend millions reimbursing him for the money he’s already spent on the property, that’s another matter.”
A source said: “Could you imagine a situation where the Duke threatens to sue his brother, the King, over money. It would be unthinkable.”
Out of work Andrew, who was forced to stand down from royal duties and dumped from charities after a sex abuse scandal rocked the monarchy, could even demand from the monarch to be reimbursed if he is made to leave. A palace source insisted the King “won’t leave his brother homeless and penniless”, amid fears of a royal row on the horizon.
£250 a week for a mansion, stables and 80 acres? That’s £13,000 a year. Yes, his mummy really was looking out for him, giving him that deal on Royal Lodge and apparently leaving him a huge fortune in her will. This is also Andrew telling Charles that Charles can buy him out. The Royal Lodge lease has some kind of codicil where the monarch has to reimburse Andrew for the money he “spent” fixing up Royal Lodge. Meaning, Andrew claims to have spent £7 million on Royal Lodge, so Charles would have to pay him that (and more) to get him out of the lease. Which Charles is probably unwilling to do right now.
PS… I’ve always wondered if the Sussexes have a similar amendment on their lease of Frogmore Cottage – after all, they “paid back” the entire cost of renovations, will they get that back when they give up the lease on Frogmore? They should.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
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- Windsor, UNITED KINGDOM – Buckingham Palace has announced Prince Andrew, the Duke of York has been stripped of all military titles and patronages and will no longer use his HRH title as he defends his sexual abuse case as a private citizen. Pictured: HRH Prince Andrew BACKGRID USA 13 JANUARY 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Windsor, UNITED KINGDOM – Buckingham Palace has announced Prince Andrew, the Duke of York has been stripped of all military titles and patronages and will no longer use his HRH title as he defends his sexual abuse case as a private citizen. Pictured: Prince Andrew BACKGRID USA 13 JANUARY 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Windsor, UNITED KINGDOM – The British Royal Prince Andrew takes an early morning ride out in Windsor, UK. Pictured: Prince Andrew BACKGRID USA 27 JULY 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Windsor, UNITED KINGDOM – Prince Andrew seen taking a ride on his horse in Windsor, England Pictured: Prince Andrew BACKGRID USA 29 OCTOBER 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Windsor, UNITED KINGDOM – The disgraced Prince Andrew takes a ride on his horse accompanied by grooms in Windsor, England. Pictured: Prince Andrew BACKGRID USA 26 NOVEMBER 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Sandringham, UNITED KINGDOM – Members of the Royal family attend the Christmas day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, UK. Pictured: Prince Andrew, Duke of York BACKGRID USA 25 DECEMBER 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
Scum.
Entitled, vile, liar, non-sweating scum. We know who you really are Andrew.
Idiot, does he not realize he deserves to be in prison?
I just read the title of a piece from Newsweek, not the fail or the sun, Newsweek, that said Americans dislike the Sussexes more than Andrew. I mean, I can’t.
Please stop clicking on Newsweek articles. Jack royston used to work for the sun and the other guy that writes for them always target Harry and Meghan in their articles. They always find the most negative commentators and polls to write about for Harry and Meghan but tend to be quiet for the rest of the family.
They are like an extended arm of the daily mail and sun.
They feed on clicks and engagement from the Sussexes.
Agree with @SCAR. Newsweek is 75% rag box clickbait these days. Horrible. Oh, and Andrew is barely worth the lint in my pocket.
I agree with Scar too. Royston is trying to whitewash his background but he’s still a tabloid reporter.
If you read my comment you will see I said I read the title, I didn’t click on it. I don’t read that kind of garbage. I was just making a point that it isn’t just the British rags that are pushing this disgusting narrative and your everyday American doesn’t know the history of Jack Royston when they read this stuff.
I also doubt that many Americans know who Andrew is, or any of the queen’s other children besides Charles. I tend to agree with the others that this Newsweek’s latest efforts to poison the well in America for the Sussexes.
@debbie, well yeah it is, but you are saying two different things. This story can’t “poison the well” against the Sussexes unless you have at least some knowledge of prince andrew otherwise it’s a meaningless story. They aren’t saying that Americans prefer King Charles to the Sussex’s, they are using Andrew for a very specific reason, that whatever you’ve read about it and what he’s accused of he’s still better than them.
OMG, ANYONE ELSE would be in prison by now. It’s just horrific. Also, hey—his ex-wife, with whom he’s living, just bought a place—perhaps he should move THERE with her! Of course, he’s probably terrified of being off palace grounds with all that security.
Didn’t I write on here at the time that the Frogmore Cottage ‘deal’ was never clear. That’s one of the many things that made it so strange. With Andrew and Edward, it was clear-cut, legal, Crown Estate documents produced, public, and legally reviewed periodically. Nothing like that happened around Frogmore Cottage.
Bill leaning on Charles to get him Royal Lodge?
This right here. Willy wants for himself to then eventually be handed down to one of his kids. They will never permit Beatrice or Eugenie to live there after Andrew is gone
William is salivating over Royal Lodge as his own Windsor bolthole. He wants George and Charlotte to live in luxury in Windsor on the days when they aren’t with Kate at humble Adelaide. Royal Lodge is the premier property fit for the heirs to the throne, not the disgraced Andrew. Cutting Andrew’s maintenance is an evil genius way to force him out. William does not want to wait another fifteen years to get his hands on the Royal Lodge.
Or Andrew will have his expenses paid by oligarch buddies and stay in Royal Lodge for decades to come. Charles should recognize how dangerous it is (for him) to cut someone like Andrew off.
If he wants it so bad he should by Andrew out. He’s POW now, he’s got the cash.
My understanding was that his lease agreement was that he paid upkeep and repairs. I don’t think he has a regular rent payment. So why should he be reimbursed? If he’s not living up to the terms of the agreement then he could be legally evicted. Of course, I guess, he could refuse to vacate and keep the legal battle over eviction going a long time. That is probably the plan to force KC to buy him out if he wants the property cleared of him.
Andrew is scum but he has arrogantly got Charles over a barrel here. Charles kicking his own brother out with the Royal Guards performing an eviction would look horrible (but I would live it for Andy Hanzy). He knows Charles will throw $$ at him eventually.
This Royal Lodge thing keeps coming up. I remember rumors about it while Lizzy was still alive, more than once. It’s all bs. Andrew’s not leaving and no one who could make him wants him to. Chuck does not think Andrew did anything wrong — not because he thinks he didn’t do it, but because Chuck doesn’t think raping commoners matters.
I honestly wonder if this is the press running the same stories because of the “invisible contract.”
It seems that if they have nothing to talk about with Harry and Meghan, they go back to the tig, or find a random royal expert, do a poll and then go back to kicking Andrew out.
That’s been the cycle of news stories.
It will be really interesting what happens after the coronation.
The last few years have had an annual events that would be considered historic and allowed them to drip feed royal stories about all the pomp and fluff.
After the coronation it’s really back to basic royal reporting. Will they finally start criticizing the other royals?
“Could you imagine a situation where the Duke threatens to sue his brother, the King, over money. It would be unthinkable.”
A warning shot if there was ever one. Now we know one of the things Andrew has – or think he has- on his brother
“Here’s our offer: four new teddy bears a year and a lifetime supply of extra-strength antiperspirant.”
LMFAO! Best comment of the day!
CC that was fantastic!
I don’t believe for one minute that Andrew spent his own money on renovations. And I don’t believe Charles will evict him unless he finds some other use for Royal Lodge.
I think the reason this keeps coming up in the press is that someone else wants Royal Lodge…. I’m looking at you Kate….
1. In what world does Andrew have his ‘own money’?
2. By this argument H&M have a nice little reimbursement cheque coming their way.
£1,083/month for one of the most lavish homes in Britain is outrageous. Especially in a cost-of-living crisis. True eat-the-rich material.
What a vile toad Andrew is, a paedophile and a griffter. He took money from a convicted paedophile friend, scammed money from the woman who owned the chalet he “bought”, mummy bailed him out BOTH TIMES and now he is trying to blackmail his own brother! But another point I would like to EMPHASISE is, where is the outcry from the British press about the amount of bedrooms he has and the amount of bathrooms??? They pilloried Harry and Megan about theirs, but Harry and Megan BOUGHT AND PAID for their house, but this scumbucket cockroach gets a pass?? Even though he is not even keeping to the terms of his lease. Look this skid Mark was left a boat load of money by his mother and father. He’s boasting about the amount of money he has so if Charlie chinless has a backbone (which I doubt), he should kick him to the kerb, and REPAY Harry and Megan for the amount they had to pay for the refurbishment of Frogmore, or better still, Harry should sue him, THAT I would love to see. Oh and Andrew, please tell the world what you have on Charlie, because it has to be BIG
“PS… I’ve always wondered if the Sussexes have a similar amendment on their lease of Frogmore Cottage – after all, they “paid back” the entire cost of renovations, will they get that back when they give up the lease on Frogmore? They should.”
But they won’t. As for Andrew he’s absolutely right. Charles is not going to evict him.
Frogmore Cottage was to be Harry’s designated jail when he returned cap in hand begging, without Meghan and Archie.
The idea was to let him spend his inheritance, with no money he would be grateful and submit to his father and especially his unstable brother.
He will be designated a non-working royal who is grateful for the scraps from king and heir.
That is his punishment for being a successful human being that dare form a bond with another human that proved to be fulfilling.
Since it did not work for Harry and the petty need for vengence persists, why not implement the plan on Andrew instead??
He is already unpopular, and the need for vengence needs to be met??
Let him be shamed and snubbed….
What a sick mind..
Technically they would have been paid back, in increasingly lower amounts as the years pass. However, they allegedly did not pay for the renovations in the normal manner. Instead, they made a “donation.” Or, at least the sum was deemed a donation in order to not have to pay them back.
Harry reimbursed the entire £3 million, that was allocated to renovate the cottage.
Most of that money was spent to make the building structurally sound.
In the financial report the line items for the repairs were listed from £150, 000 for steel bars rtc
The beautifying aspect was initally paid by Harry and Meghan.
This is distraction or a diversion??
What is the real story??
Who benefit with Andrew in the headline??
Absolutely no one.
Then,Why is he occupying coveted real estate in the fail’s front page?
The two thoughts can coexist, Andrew’s misdeeds and his mother’s wishes for him…..
Is the lease valid?? That is the only concern not the favourable terms of said lease.
There have always been nepo offspring, there is nothing new here except some jackass within the royal family is exposing secrets to the detriment of the institution.
The sad part is that whomever is doing it is cutting off their nose to spite their face.
Prince Harry, take note and make those boundaries stronger.
Gosh I used to pay £400 for a tiny studio flat in London when I was a student. Geez!
NOKI you would be lucky to get a shoe box for that now!
I don’t even think Charles is the one who wants to evict Andrew. I think the Prince of Pegging is crowing & throwing temper tantrums about Royal Lodge. $10 says he’s been bullying his weak father about taking RL away and keeping it for himself. I also think he wants that to be HIS house and will leave Kate & kids at Adelaide.
Andrew is blackmailing Charles via the press and as much as I find Andrew to be a disgusting POS, I have no doubt he’ll be all too happy to follow through with any threats; be it suing, or tell-all. It makes me sick to say this but from an objective standpoint, Andrew’s playing his grifting hand rather well. Charles’ reign is already off to a bumpy start and Andrew does have the power to make it so much worse no matter how much of a grifting, dysfunctional predator he is.
Didn’t see your comment before I made mine up thread; I think that Royal Lodge is being eyed by Kate with William wanting to move into Windsor castle. But I think you’re right, someone else wants Royal Lodge.
I agree for another reason, that was where Meghan was introduced to the Queen.
It is public knowledge, although Harry provided a little more of the details in his book.
are you kidding me? this pedo pays 1k/month on a sprawling mansion when the average rent is pushing 2k/month in London. why are ppl not storming the gates of these rich a**holes? the fact they can “rent” it out for next to nothing just means they have more than enough resources to provide more for the common people.
i don’t think he should get that money back on renovations. nor the money meghan and harry spent on renovations. unfortunately when you’re a tenant, any renovations you do on your own is separate from your lease. kind of standard as a tenant and landlord agreement. but im sure he’ll find some savvy lawyers to argue clauses in the lease and weasel his way into more money. he’s shameless
Looking at that top picture, though, I will say that this is the first time I’ve ever seen a jackass riding a horse.
😁
The aristocrat who’s fallen on hard times and can only afford to occupy a few rooms of their stately home is a trope of British fiction. This business only makes sense if they specifically want Andrew out of Windsor or if William wants the house for wife #2. The lease expires in 2078 but the Andrew problem will expire much sooner than that. He’s an overweight man in his 60s who’s lived a self-indulgent lifestyle and who’s experiencing multiple significant ongoing stressors. The claim that he won’t be able to afford to maintain the home is nonsense. Why is it different than other royal buildings that go without for years at a time? Royal Lodge will not collapse from a few years of deferred maintenance. Andrew won’t die if he has to close most of the rooms and live without servants.
The article raises a lot more questions than it answers. Where did Andrew get the 7.5 million pounds to renovate the property? He didn’t sell South York, the McMansion he and Fergie built, until a few years ago. And if it is Crown property, why was Andrew paying the money and not the Crown for the renovations? Also, he’s only paying 13,000 pounds yearly for a 30-room mansion? That is a very sweet deal. Even if KCIII cuts his allowance to 150,000 a year, he can still pay the rent. And we know that Fergie isn’t contributing anything.
That is how the leases used to be done. Edward’s is the same. They paid massive amounts up front for the restoration of the properties, which gave them leases for decades. The Crown Estate accepted those millions in exchange for not paying to do the work themselves.
none of this is news. we’ve heard all about it before. Charles needs Andrew on a short leash. they’re stuck with each other. and as to the headline, Andrew doesn’t do anything without being reimbursed!
I thought the “turfing Andrew out of Royal Lodge” story sounded unlikely because the absolutely last thing that Charles and the establishment want is Andrew having to go out and drum up some cash – all his money-making schemes and acquaintances end up causing huge embarrassment. Charles funding him to put up and shut up is the least worst option as far as they are concerned.
This predator was given a lease for so many years (75+) for so little £’s that it is already paid in full beyond his death that these articles are absolutely ridiculous and pure gaslighting to deflect from other issues it’s unbelievable. I don’t care what they write the nonce will die in the Royal lodge and his girls will inherit the lease. So this is all defection from chucky or his mistress/wife or Peggy/and his cheated upon wife. Please read these headlines with some critical thinking.
That horse is exquisite. Oh to have the money to have such magnificent horses and people to care for them. That’s all I have on this.
If Charles really wanted him out and Andrew demanded money for the “improvements” he made I’d get an appraiser in to calculate the market rent on a place like that for the last 30 tears and tell him to pay up or get out.
The Crown Estate lease for Andrew has been reviewed at least once and found legal. He pre-paid millions for the restoration which gave him a pre-paid lease for something like 75 years. His daughters inherit that lease with no additional annual rent required. They’d have to pay any staff themselves, but the lease is pre-paid. Beatrice and Eugenie could choose to sublet the lease or sell the lease outright to someone else, but Charles cannot legally take the lease away.
notasugar, So many things in this world have been deemed “legal” or “illegal” and have later been reversed, sometimes rightly, sometimes wrongly. In this case, I wonder who looked at the case, what were deemed admissible “facts,” etc. What I believe is that the essence of what Andrew has and has done is rotten to the core. It is patently ridiculous that the queen and royal family would ever be deemed wrong by any institution created to prop up the queen and royal family. This includes the justice system. Period.
It is not possible to run and maintain a 30 bedroom property plus grounds, without a team of staff. Bare minimum at a guess would be five. Ten or fifteen seems more likely – and that is excluding grooms/staff for the stables. HTF can he personally afford to pay their salaries?
I was under the impression that in the UK, there is actually an anti money laundering rule that requires British residents to prove/account for their assets if there is no obvious (legally sound) explanation as to where their resources are coming from.
I can only dream of Andrew being reported and a bona fide investigation being carried out. We all know what the outcome would be.