The drama surrounding Prince Andrew’s residency at Royal Lodge in Windsor shows no signs of abating, with Royal experts forecasting more trouble for the beleaguered Duke. Speaking on the Palace Confidential podcast, biographer of King Charles, Robert Hardman, suggested Prince Andrew’s tenancy at his opulent Windsor home is precarious, even though he plans to remain there.
Hardman remarked: “The King is very conscious that [The Lodge] is not entirely in his gift. It’s a Crown Estate property and the Crown Estate ultimately answers to the government. The King can’t evict him, and wouldn’t want to anyway.”
Despite Prince Andrew seemingly having secured enough money to stay at the Royal property, there’s heightened concern regarding his ability to maintain it properly, potentially leading to further difficulties. Hardman commented: “The Royal Collection, which owns quite a lot of the treasures inside there, may say: ‘Well, we can’t be confident that this place is safe anymore,’ and they’ll start taking the paintings and some of the furniture away.”
The Express reports that Hardman pointed out the controversy of Prince Andrew’s occupancy of the Grade II listed property, estimated at around £30 million, emphasising that its residents have traditionally been royals in active service to the country. He stated: “That’s a house that has always belonged to someone who performs public duties on behalf of the nation. It always was when George the Sixth lived there, when Queen Mother lived there, and Prince Andrew to begin with.”
“He was performing public duties and therefore there was an obligation by the state to look after that property, to make sure it was secure. Now [Andrew] has got no public life, no prospect of a public life, and I think that does bring into question what he’s still doing in a place that was a home for many years of a sovereign.”
In his book, Robert also shines a light on the ambiguous nature of Prince Andrew’s finances, reports the Mirror. A source from the Palace disclosed: “He claims to have found other sources of income related to his contacts in international trade, sufficient to cover all his costs – which would be a welcome outcome for all parties if that turns out to be the case. But as to whether this funding can be relied upon in the long term is another matter.”
The book suggests that for Andrew, remaining in the opulent 30-room Royal abode is now about maintaining his dignity.
“Someone said to me the other day, he’s got nothing else,” Robert further remarked. “He’s got no public life. He has no public role. And he’s clearly devoted to this home, and he likes being there. So, if he can make it work, he’s going to try.”
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