Prince Andrew has been lobbying King Charles for a regal estate amid negotiations to leave his Royal Lodge mansion, national reports claim. The disgraced Duke of York is refusing to give up his palatial 30-bedroom Windsor home after the King told him of planned budget cuts to the royal finances.
According to the Daily Mirror, Andrew, 63, has even pleaded to be given the chance to run some of the most prestigious estates in the Royal Family’s portfolio, such as the late Queen’s beloved Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire.
It is believed the Duke begged the King for a “top role”, in the belief the responsibility and prestige of running the properties would offer him a way back into the fold. One insider said: “Andrew is insisting on having a job despite being made to stand down from his duties and now he’s being kicked out of his home.
Has your business been affected by the cost of living crisis? Tell us here
“He’s of the opinion that he is still a senior member of the family, despite not being a working royal and deserves to be treated as such. He is prepared to take on the responsibility of a big role running an estate and still thinks he is far too young to retire.
“However, the King certainly has a wildly different view to that of his brother and has told him straight, there is no chance of that happening.” The King has resisted all attempts by Andrew and daughters Eugenie and Beatrice, who are also understood to have met His Majesty to fight their father’s case.
Despite the King’s insistence that he is not for turning, sources close to Andrew suggest he is prepared to “dig his heels in” after being told he must leave his Royal Lodge home.
It emerged this week that Charles has offered Andrew more modest accommodation after evicting Prince Harry and his family from their UK base on the Windsor estate. The Sussexes received notice from the King to vacate their five-bedroom Frogmore Cottage a day after Harry published his explosive memoir Spare. A spokesman said they were “OK” with it.
The King is understood to have offered Andrew the residence without informing them, believing he would move in as his own house has a serious damp problem and needs a new roof. The Duke of York’s home needs millions spent on it in repairs, as well as an annual upkeep of £400,000 a year, which palace officials believe he can not afford in his present situation.
A spokesman for the Duke of York did not respond for comment, while Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
READ NEXT:
