Prince paranoid? Andrew ‘is convinced King Charles is trying to force him out of Royal Lodge and give it to Queen Camilla’
Allegedly, Prince Andrew believes King Charles is trying to force him out of the Royal Lodge, where he has lived rent-free for more than 20 years, because he wants to give it to Queen Camilla.
The disgraced prince, 65, is refusing to move from the luxury 30-room property near Windsor Castle, despite pressure from MPs and the public to move to a more modest home.
In recent years, the king has tried to reduce his troubled younger brother to size and prevent World War II. He tried desperately to persuade her to move out of the rank-listed mansion.
She believes many of Andrew’s problems, particularly his involvement with pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and other shady characters, stem from chasing a lifestyle he can’t afford.
But Andrew stubbornly insisted that he had a lease on the house, and as long as he paid the rent, the King had no legal right to throw him out.
Family friends said the King believed he had an ulterior motive, according to The Telegraph.
Andrew and his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie allegedly revealed to friends that the King wanted the Royal Lodge to be his base at Windsor if Queen Camilla outlived him; This is Queen Elizabeth II. An arrangement similar to that of Elizabeth’s mother, who moved into the Royal Lodge when she was widowed.
The King’s aides have denied the family friend’s claim, but Andrew is apparently focused on the theory that the Royal Lodge has been earmarked for the Queen, which was first revealed last year.
Prince Andrew is convinced King Charles is trying to evict him from the Royal Lodge, where he has lived rent-free for more than 20 years, because he wants to give it to Queen Camilla.
In recent years, the king has tried to reduce his troubled younger brother to size and prevent World War II. He tried desperately to persuade her to move out of the rank-listed mansion.
Prince Andrew has stubbornly insisted that he has a fixed lease at the Royal Lodge (pictured) and as long as he pays the rent the King has no legal right to kick him out.
But if Queen Camilla outlives the King, she may choose to live at Ray Mill House, which she bought in 1995 in a divorce settlement from her first husband, Andrew Parker Bowles.
The Grade II-listed family home in Wiltshire is said to be where he feels most at home.
Earlier this year he chose Ray Mill as the backdrop for his official 78th birthday portrait, and in March the King bought the Old Mill mansion next door to prevent it from being turned into a wedding venue and disrupting his wife’s privacy.
On Monday, it was revealed that Andrew had failed to pay rent on the Royal Lodge mansion where he and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson have lived for two decades.
An unredacted copy of the lease shows that he paid £1 million to rent the property in 2003 and spent £7.5 million on renovations, but has only paid ‘one peppercorn (on request)’ a year since taking over the mansion.
This is because Andrew is deemed to have paid the rent, which is around £260,000 a year, in advance through the work he has funded to bring the palace property into top condition.
It also means the Crown Estate will have to pay him around half a million pounds if he leaves the mansion before his lease ends in 2078.
The original lease submitted by Andrew to the Land Registry Office 20 years ago omitted sentences indicating that he had not paid rent; essentially hiding this fact from the public and distorting their perception of their living arrangements.
Sources have highlighted to the Daily Mail that questions remain about how the King’s brother will be able to afford the massive 30-bedroom property, which costs millions in running costs.
This week the Daily Mail exclusively revealed that Andrew is not believed to have received a significant inheritance from the Queen or the Queen Mother, raising new questions about how he can afford to stay on the estate – especially when he does not currently receive any personal allowance or public funding from the King.
Andrew and his daughters Beatrice (left) and Eugenie (right) allegedly revealed to friends that the King wanted the Royal Lodge to be his base in Windsor if Queen Camilla outlived him
Queen Camilla bought Ray Mill House (pictured) in Wiltshire in 1995 in a divorce settlement from her first husband Andrew Parker Bowles.
The Prince, who was forced to give up his title as Duke of York following fresh scandals over his friendship with Epstein and his dealings with suspected Chinese spies, faces a possible parliamentary inquiry into his living arrangements.
Sir Keir Starmer yesterday said he would support a parliamentary inquiry into the disgraced Prince’s living arrangements.
It comes after Sir Ed Davey said an investigation by a select committee could see witnesses questioned ‘including the current occupant of the building’, referring to Andrew.
Today, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chairman of the Commons public accounts committee, confirmed he would be writing to the Treasury and Crown Estate Commissioners ‘for further information about the Royal Lodge’s lease arrangements’.
The answers to the questions will determine whether the committee will take the matter further.
