A royal insider has shed light on Prince Andrew’s alleged reluctance to venture beyond the perimeters of Royal Lodge, attributing his reclusive behaviour to a desire to steer clear of the public eye and media scrutiny.
King Charles is believed to have nudged his sibling towards leaving his expensive Windsor Estate dwelling in favour of humbler quarters amid speculation about the Duke’s financial strain over its £400,000 annual maintenance costs.
Intrigue intensified last month when it came to light that King Charles declined to renew the security detail at the Duke’s residence, leading to fresh conjecture about Andrew’s potential downsize to Frogmore Cottage, once the home of Prince Harry and Meghan.
Offering her insight, Majesty Magazine Editor Ingrid Seward speaks out in Fabulous Magazine, suggesting Prince Andrew’s choices are limited: “The Duke of York is quite limited as to where he can go, because he obviously doesn’t want to be photographed and then subsequently criticised,” she remarks, pointing out that, “his world is very narrow”.
The year 2019 marked a downturn for Andrew when fallout from his ties with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and accusations by Virginia Roberts Giuffre that he sexually abused her forced him to withdraw from Royal duties. These allegations have consistently been met with strong denials from the Prince, having first emerged in Florida court filings in April 2015, reports the Express.
January 2022 saw the Prince stripped of his military titles and Royal patronages, and he relinquished his HRH status.
A month after the legal turmoil, the Duke settled with Ms Giuffre out of court without admitting any liability.
The Prince has reportedly been laying low in his expansive seven-bedroom home amidst ongoing public attention. According to Ms Seward, his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, often bring their families to visit him at the estate, helping him to steer clear of public and media exposure.
“He does see a lot of his grandchildren and enjoys spending time with them,” she revealed to the publication. “I think because they know that he’s kind of stuck at Royal Lodge, they will go out of their way to go and see him rather than him coming to see them.”
Secured on a 75-year lease since 2004, the lodge remains Andrew’s residence despite Prince Charles’ alleged desire for him to vacate; legally, he cannot be forced out.
Andrew had intentions to preserve the property as a family heritage site for Beatrice and Eugenie to inherit.
It is believed that the sisters have another potential inheritance lined up through their mother, the Duchess of York, who acquired a £4million property in Mayfair last year, as reported by The Scottish Daily Express.
Get the latest celebrity gossip and telly news sent straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily Showbiz newsletter here.