The fight between King Charles and Prince Andrew over the Duke of York's home, Royal Lodge, has been dragging on for years at this point, but this week, one royal author noted that the historic property is home to quite a number of "treasures" that the Royal Collection just might want back.
Appearing on the Daily Mail's Palace Confidential YouTube show, Robert Hardman, author of King Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story, said that historically, Royal Lodge has been "a house that always belonged to someone who performed public duties on behalf of the nation."
Since Andrew no longer carries out royal engagements on behalf of The King, "that does bring into question, what's he still doing in a place that is, was for many years, a home of a sovereign? Hardman wondered.
Prince Andrew was forced to step down from royal duties in 2019 after he faced widespread public backlash amid his sexual assault allegations and infamous BBC Newsnight interview. And while King Charles—who no longer financially supports his brother or his security at Royal Lodge—has called for the Duke of York to move to a smaller home, Andrew has continued to dig in his heels.
"It's a Crown Estate property and the Crown Estate ultimately answers to the government," the author said, pointing out that it's ultimately not The King's call on whether to throw his brother out. However, Hardman noted that "we don't want to see it fall into disrepair"—and according to numerous reports, Royal Lodge is doing just that.
The crumbling home is in need of extensive repairs, although reportedly, the Duke of York has come up with the money to carry out the roughly $320,000 of renovation work in recent days. Princess Beatrice's property developer husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, has been reportedly been assisting with the extensive efforts.
Hardman shared that "The Royal Collection, which owns quite a lot of the treasures inside there, may say, 'Well we can't be confident that this place is safe anymore,' and they'll start taking the paintings and the some of the furniture away".
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother lived at Royal Lodge with Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) and Princess Margaret before they took the throne, and the Queen Mother moved back into Royal Lodge after her husband died, living there until her death in 2002. The home, unsurprisingly, features a number of priceless antiques and paintings, although per the Daily Mail, it's also said to be "cluttered with novelty teapots" that Prince Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, has collected over the years.
At the end of the day, Hardman pointed out that it will cost "many millions of pounds a year" for the Duke of York to stay at Royal Lodge. "How much longer can he continue plundering his savings to pay these very substantial bills?" the author wondered. "Let's see."
