King Charles III has been warned he could be faced with one huge problem when trying to evict his younger brother Prince Andrew from his £30m royal home of 20 years.
The Duke of York is allegedly refusing to leave the Royal Lodge, which he shares with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson while the house is being renovated, in fear of the monarch finding a way to evict him, the Express reports.
The disgraced prince is currently in a battle with the king about leaving his Windsor home as the monarch wants him to move into Frogmore Cottage in an attempt to tighten budgets and scale down on the number of royal properties being used.
However, Andrew is seemingly continuing to defy his brother and there is not much Charles can do about it as his younger sibling took out a 75-year lease on the property in 2003 following the death of the late Queen Mother who the Royal Lodge previously belonged to.
Royal expert Richard Palmer explained that the house doesn't fall into what is known as the Occupied Royal Palaces Estate like around another 200 royal properties do but is instead known as a Crown Estate property.
He told the Daily Express: "The King is saying 'I can't support you in the way I used to support you like your mother used to be able to support you, and I'm worried are you going to be able to stay there and do the maintenance work that is needed on the property.'
"I think Andrew is saying 'I'm not moving and I will find a way' but nobody is quite clear how exactly he's going to do that.
"I think the King is putting pressure on his brother to move to something smaller and something that is more financially manageable.
"But apart from the financial support he gives him, he doesn't have a lot of leverage over that.
"He can't evict his brother from Royal Lodge because as I have said, that is a Crown Estate property.
"The monarchy is technically the owner of the Crown Estate, but in name only and it is basically an independent property company that makes money from the UK Government."
Mr Palmers opines that the Firm will be wondering how Andrew will be able to afford the extensive renovations required at the Royal Lodge himself after the Duke has already had his royal budget slashed but continues to refuse to leave the home.
The royal expert was asked: "How would he be able to afford all of these renovations if he is no longer a senior working royal and is quite tight-lipped about what he is doing these days given the headlines from the last few years? Where is this money coming from?"
The royal expert replied: "That's a question the family is asking - if he can afford it?
"I think he has private investments. Did he inherit money from his parents?
"Probably not too much because I suspect it was passed from monarch to monarch but the King may have found a way of funneling some money toward him."
Another source claims that Andrew does not want to leave the Royal Lodge while the work is going on as he fears the king will find a way to evict him even if it is on a temporary basis.
A source told the Daily Mail: "It's become farcical. Andrew has roof repairs scheduled later this summer which will take several months to complete and has been advised that staying in the house during those renovations could prove problematic. But he is reluctant to leave."
Insiders have also said that they believe it would make sense for the Duke of York to leave Royal Lodge, which is earmarked for the Wales' family and move to Frogmore Cottage, which is the former home of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Another source claims that Andrew is adamant that he will not become the new resident of the downsized property in Windsor.
They said: "They originally wanted Andrew out of Royal Lodge so that the property could be renovated and prepared for new lodgers.
"But he is adamant that, as he has so many years left to run on his lease and he spent millions from his own fortune doing up the place he is not going to leave his home.
"He feels very strongly, perhaps with some justification, that they are moving the goalposts suddenly and it is hugely unfair."
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