PRINCE Andrew is preparing to be forced out of Royal Lodge by the King within months.
Charles is to slash the Duke’s annual £249,000 grant, leaving him unable to afford the Windsor home’s running costs.
Prince Andrew is preparing to be forced out of Royal Lodge by the King within months
The King is to slash the Duke’s annual £249,000 grant, leaving him unable to afford the Windsor home’s running costs
A source said: ‘Royal Lodge has a swimming pool, 98 acres of land and is already in need of some repair’
A source said: “It feels as though his brother wishes to evict him.”
The Duke of York was warned that cash to maintain his Royal Lodge home could be cut when a senior royal joked at Christmas: “We will kick Andrew out of the house.”
But the Prince was still shocked to learn this month that his annual grant would be slashed from April.
He has told friends he will not be able to pay for the property’s upkeep and expects to be effectively “evicted” from the 30-room mansion in Windsor by September.
He is one of a number of royals whose running costs will be cut now that King Charles is in charge of the purse strings following the death of the Queen.
Prince Andrew, who is 63 today, has been living at Royal Lodge with his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, also 63.
A source said: “Andrew and Sarah are distraught they have been given such short notice.
“The Queen died only a few months ago.
“He’s not being explicitly kicked out but it’s expected that he won’t be able to afford the maintenance.
“Royal Lodge has a swimming pool, 98 acres of land and is already in need of some repair.”
The Queen paid Andrew a yearly subsidy — last reported to be £249,000 — from her private fortune, enabling him to fund his home
But as King, Charles, 74, is now in control of the £652.8million Duchy of Lancaster fund — also known as the Privy Purse.
A substantial cut to Andrew’s income will see him with only his Navy pension to rely on, as his business interests have dried up.
At a Christmas gathering of royals, one family member joked: “We will kick Andrew out of the house.”
But it is understood that the King will not leave his brother homeless or penniless.
A source said: “This is about Charles telling Andrew he can use his own money to pay for things.
“The same goes for other members of the family, such as Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
“And while there is leniency with working members of the family, who have offices funded by the Sovereign Grant, there have been other examples.”
Royal insiders pointed to Prince Edward and Sophie’s daughter Lady Louise, who inherited her grandad Prince Philip’s sporting carriage.
The source said: “Charles doesn’t feel he should pay for the upkeep of ponies to pull the carriage.”
Charles wants a slimmed-down monarchy and has ordered a major review of how money is spent, telling non-working royals they should also expect to tighten their belts.
A source said: “He knows the public won’t want to see money wasted — particularly in the current climate.”
The Duke thought he had a home for life when he signed a 75-year lease for the Royal Lodge in 2003 for a one-off £1million.
Andrew has been living at Royal Lodge with his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York
Andrew with the Queen’s corgis Muick and Sandy
Under the terms of the lease, he was obliged to spend on recommended renovations.
Documents reveal the total paid on repairs has exceeded £7.5millon.
Last year Sarah — who divorced Andrew in 2006 but moved into Royal Lodge in 2008 — said she felt like a “guest” in the palatial home.
She added: “When I’m in the UK I’m lucky enough to stay at Royal Lodge. I wouldn’t call it my home as that would be presumptuous.”
Sarah bought a £5million townhouse in London’s Mayfair last year.
But it is understood they feel the London property will not be suitable — given their menagerie of horses and dogs, including the late Queen’s corgis Muick and Sandy.
Andrew also has a personal collection of 72 teddy bears.
The Celeb Report revealed last month that he had already been evicted from Buckingham Palace and told he cannot have an apartment or office there when a £369million renovation is completed in 2027.
He was stripped of taxpayer-funded armed Met Police guards this year, with Charles agreeing to pay for private unarmed private security, estimated at around £3million per year.
The Duke believes he should now seek “financial independence”.
The Celeb Report has told how he has been “keeping an eye” on how Prince Harry and Meghan are doing in the US as he plans a new career.
It is understood the King is allowing him to quietly pursue opportunities but has ordered him to keep his head down until after the Coronation.
The Queen stripped Andrew of his royal titles and patronages last year
Royal Lodge is a Grade-II listed mansion in Windsor
The King is also mindful that Andrew was given a house — Sunninghill, in Berkshire — as a wedding gift by the Queen, but chose to sell it for £15million to a Kazakh billionaire.
In January last year, the Queen stripped Andrew of his royal titles and patronages in disgrace over sex abuse allegations by Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre.
Last January, the Queen stripped Andrew of his royal titles and patronages in disgrace over sex-abuse allegations by Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre, which he denies.
The Queen is also said to have paid her son’s multi-million pound out-of-court settlement to his accuser in February 2022 — which the Duke is now seeking to oppose.
It is understood meetings have taken place between the King, the Prince of Wales and Keeper of the Privy Purse Sir Michael Stevens about how Royal properties might be divided up in future.
Buckingham Palace did not want to comment.
