Do you think Prince Andrew should be made to leave Royal Lodge?

[Houseplanter]

Another (trashy) article in the press today saying Andrew needs to downsize out of Royal Lodge and make way for Wills & co.

Apparently he doesn't have the fund for its upkeep, it's falling in to disrepair.

W & C obviously could make better use of it.

He's been there 30 years so I can understand he doesn't want to move out of essentially his family home. My own view is he should be in deepest darkest nowhere, but wondered what others thought.

Is there any reason at all to leave him be?

On further reflection A is known to have bought the lease on RL paying a lump sum equivalent to a rent of £250 a week for 75 years while Harold was 'gifted' Frogmore by TLQ.

Ending a lease (if he even had one) might be easier in those circumstances?

Just caught up with this story. Regardless of Andrew's history or reputation, his brother, the King, is being mean I think. Yes maybe logically Andrew should move to a smaller house, but he has this 75 year lease, from the Queen, it's his home - he apparently invested millions in it when he took it on (and won't get that refunded if he leaves) and I also read one reason he's determined to stay was he wanted to pass it on to his daughters. So in some respects he's just behaving like any Father who wants to leave his home to his daughters. But there's probably also sibling rivalry involved, with Andrew being a second son. And thinking he should have some status (regardless of his antics) as a second son of the Queen - and after all she let him have the lease. So his brother, now King, is being mean to him. After all the Queen made sure her sister Princess Margaret had a nice place to live at Kensington Palace (as a single woman).

So I think partly Prince Andrew is just being stubborn, partly, as a grown man, he has every right to decide if he wants to move or not when he has a lease. Charles is being an unfair landlord (and after that Channel 4 Dispatches programme recently, that should be no surprise) and is also his brother! And partly it's emotion - if it's your home, it's your home and he believed it was for his lifetime and beyond when he took out the lease.

Charles has now cut off the money that paid for Andrew's security - to try and force him out. And that is really mean! Of course he needs security. Charles has a habit of leaving people without security (I'm thinking of Diana here - I've always said she would never have died if she'd still had proper security and drivers etc).

But Andrew would probably be sensible to accept the offer and swallow his ego. Frogmore Cottage is a very nice place. But Andrew likes his lifestyle and doesn't want to change and is probably even more determined to keep it when he sees his elder brother with Buckingham blooming Palace and owning everything as King!

This is all hypothetical as personally I'd rather abolish the monarchy altogether and have no King and no Royal Family.

But I do think the Queen would not be happy with Charles for cutting off his brother's security. I suspect Andrew is not going to budge - his ex wife is currently touring to promote a new book - they're probably trying to raise some money to afford staying there.

If it was me - I would be furious if a sibling told me to move out of a house I had a 75 year lease on and tell them to get stuffed. On the other hand maybe Prince Andrew has to accept that - he has no income and can't afford to stay there. But he will feel entitled to support from his brother the King and feel Charles is being disloyal.

Wonder if "The Crown" will come back on TV with all this!

He needs homes in different locations as sometimes work take him to London, sometimes outside etc. He can't live in one house because of his demanding job.

@Maggispice I think you are joking aren't you? "Demanding job" 😂

Charles did not remove Diana's security, she rejected it because, in part, of the lies she was told by Bashir.

Andrew is living in a property he can't afford so he needs to downsize. This is what the rest of us do. I don't see how it is any different for him.

If he wants security there are properties within the security cordon at Windsor he can move to.

Has anyone in this discussion brought up the fact that QEII built a house for Andrew as a wedding present? Actually not a house, a mansion! Instead of buying one of the many amazing mansions in SE England, Andrew chose to build a gaudy American style house near Sunningdale. IIRC, it was neglected following his divorce while he lived elsewhere. It was eventually bought for way over the market value by a dodgy billionaire. Did Andrew use that money buy another home, like other people would do? No. His mummy sorted him out with another house. It seems he has not been looking after that one either. So from Charles' POV, his brother has squandered what his dm has given and has also embarrassed the RF. The optics of Andrew in that big mansion are terrible.

Ah, c'mon now.

All those WhatsApps overseeing his billion pound property empire and making sure those skims keep rolling over don't send themselves...

Did Andrew use that money buy another home, like other people would do? No. His mummy sorted him out

I don't think he ever thought ahead to a point where someone in the family might not be prepared to smooth his path in anything.

Didn't Mummy pay for the gates he destroyed by driving through them rather than taking a detour to the ones down the road?

Yes Andrew is an entitled man child. His choices have led to him being financially dependent on his brother. His brother and sister have worked quietly for the monarchy and have looked after what they were given by their mother, HMQ. Therefore, they seem to be very content and leading very comfortable lives. Andrew squandered what he was given and caused the RF embarrassment globally. He needs to be taught a lesson.
He also seems to have encouraged his dds to expect the RF to look after his dds too. Don't both of them live in Crown properties? The fuss he kicked up about Eugenie having a wedding on a royal scale was embarrassing. Anne apparently does more for her dcs than your average parent but that's from her own purse. I would be shocked if Edward expects anything from the RF when his dcs become adults.

I think he bought that 15 million pound swiss chalet - but had to sell it to pay of the woman in the court case. So he probably feels sorry for himself that he's lost everything and doesn't want to give up his home. However, if he's sensible he'd just downsize - he's getting older after all. I think it's about being the second son when his brother is King and owns everything! The monarchy is dysfunctional. Charles's son has more than his brother.

But can you imagine, if you were your Mother's favourite and she dies and then you have to deal with your brother who is wealthier and more important? Ugh - I feel sorry for anyone born into the Royal Family, despite their privilege.

Andrew has nothing to be afraid of, Charles was only ever going to “punish” his Son.

He’s going nowhere.

I think he bought that 15 million pound swiss chalet - but had to sell it to pay of the woman in the court case.

And there again there was financial murkiness involved.

From memory he was paying the purchase price off in instalments and the previous owner had to threaten legal action when he failed to pay at least one. That action was seen off (Mummy bailout?) but the sale stalled again due to some kind of debt related to the place and all this taking place with a looming deadline to avoid court action in the civil case.

I'm not convinced he paid off Virginia Guiffre with his own funds. The royals wanted it all under the carpet in time for their overblown Jubilee knees-up and I don't think they really cared how that was achieved. The reported £12m to make it all go away is pretty much a drop in the ocean to a billionaire.

No. Many people get over #100,000 discount to exercise their right to buy having paid a heavily subsidised rent, why can't Andrew when his family is the largest land owner in Europe.
Even those who work hard to pay their way and get no subsidized rent and have to pay market value need to remember that's not the lot for everyone.

As I said, Andrew is going nowhere lol

I'm continually amazed that there are still people willing to bail him out financially. You'd think it was money down the drain.