PRINCE Andrew is furious after being told he will lose his personal police protection - which costs the taxpayer nearly £3 million a year, according to reports.
A source told the Sun on Sunday that ministers informed the Duke of York, known as the Earl of Inverness in Scotland, that his taxpayer-funded security detail will be removed next month.
King Charles is believed to be keen to distance himself from his younger brother and keep him out of the public eye.
Andrew, the late monarch’s disgraced second son, stepped down from public life after the furore over his friendship with paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, and paid millions to settle a civil sexual assault case to a woman he claimed never to have met.
In January, ahead of his legal settlement, his mother Queen Elizabeth stripped him of all of his honorary military roles, including Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, and he gave up his HRH style.
Andrew, a former Royal Navy officer who served in the Falklands War, retained his rank as a Vice Admiral.
The Prince is said to be angry over the loss of his armed police protection and may make an appeal to the Metropolitan Police and the Home Office over the move.
The bodyguards escort Andrew when he leaves the royal estates of Windsor but there has been anger from some over the use of any taxpayer cash spent on the royal during a cost-of-living crisis.
One senior Labour MP told the newspaper: “He doesn’t seem to understand that he’s in disgrace and people don’t want to hear from him any more — especially him with his begging bowl.
“I know he has a title, but that doesn’t mean he is entitled to taxpayer-funded protection.
“I know families who don’t know if they will be able to afford their kids’ Christmas presents this year."
The Home Office said: “It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on protective security.”
