Prince Andrew has been a stain on the royal family tree for a long time now. His name carries a great deal of shame and controversy, yet despite this, it seems his family can do nothing to get rid of him.
King Charles has been putting pressure on his brother to vacate the Royal Lodge. The home in Windsor is worth £30 million (roughly $3.9 million) and comes with 90 acres of land and a pool, the prince who is currently residing there with his wife, signed a 75 year lease on the property in 2003. However, the King has suggested he move out and downsize, apparently, Frogmore cottage (Harry and Meghan’s former home) on the same estate is the option the King has offered his little brother.
The disagreement between the two siblings has been going on for a while and things seem to be escalating as Charles has now cut security measures for Andrew’s home in an effort to force him out. Despite this, Andrew remains, insisting that he can pay for his own security which costs around £1 million a year. He’s straight up refusing to buckle under the pressure Charles is putting him under.
Prince Andrew is fighting back
As far as the disgraced prince is concerned, he’s staying exactly where he is, according to sources close to the royal suggest he sees “no reason” to move, “Prince Andrew is holding firm and is determined to stay in the Royal Lodge.” A royal expert also weighed in with their opinion, claiming that Andrew’s arrogance was a main factor in why he was refusing to move.
“One of the problems that Prince Andrew has is that he is occasionally convinced of his rightness, and he gets himself into hot water with his stubbornness and sometimes his own arrogance has caused him to create these problems.”
Evidently the Prince is under the impression that he has done nothing wrong and therefore has no reason to be forced out of his own home.
Why is Prince Andrew so controversial
For those unfamiliar with the extensive royal family lore, Andrew became notorious after his close relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was exposed — he was arguably closer or at least as close with the man as Donald Trump. Andrew also allegedly sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre, a girl who was trafficked by Epstein, on three separate occasions while she was under the age of 18.
In 2021 Giuffre sued Andrew and the case was settled out of court in 2022. The prince claimed that he did not recall meeting Giuffre and he was unable to explain a photo taken in 2001 showing his arm around her waist.
Anyways, Andrew may not have been charged or faced any repercussions but that doesn’t mean he’s gotten away scot-free. He’s still very much considered a disgrace by most and even his own family seem to be trying to distance themselves from him. He was removed from his royal duties after the Epstein scandal, and now his brother is trying to remove him from the Royal Lodge. However, the King doesn’t have the authority to actually have him removed, if Andrew says he can afford to live in the 30 million pound home there’s not much Charles can do.