A royal expert claims Prince Andrew is well within his rights to refuse to budge from Royal Lodge - despite the effects that could be felt throughout his family. As we've reported this week, rumours have recently been circulating that King Charles is trying to get his younger brother to leave the 30-room mansion he shares with ex wife Sarah Ferguson in an attempt to downsize the number of properties that make up the royal portfolio.
But the Duke of York's ongoing battle to keep his royal home of 20 years on the Windsor Estate still remains far from over as the late Queen Elizabeth made arrangements prior to her death so that he could remain in Royal Lodge.
It was allegedly suggested that Prince Andrew, whose annual maintenance loan has already been slashed this year, could instead move into the smaller Frogmore Cottage which was previously the home of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
But recent reports state that Duke will even remain in his lavish property while roof repairs are being completed during the summer as he is fearful that he will be evicted during that time and not allowed back.
According to Andrew Lownie, who wrote 2021 book Traitor King about the late King Edward VIII, Andrew has every right to stay put because he's honoured a pledge to fund renovations and upkeep at the home.
But the biographer told Express.co.uk the Duke is failing to consider the wider interests of the royals by refusing to move out as he said the 63-year-old father of two is stubborn and lacking in “self-awareness.”
Lownie explained Andrew took over the house from the late Queen Mother on a long-term lease and, because he's invested around £7 million of his own money into the property since he moved in in 2003, he has a right to stay.
He said: “Andrew has a lease with the Crown Estates in return for paying for renovation and upkeep and he has honoured that.
“The optics might not look good for a non-working royal but he is within his rights. Status matters to him – as he reminds everyone constantly he was the second son of the monarch – and he feels he is entitled to stay."
Mr Lownie added: “[Andrew’s] protector, the Queen, has gone and the family see him as an embarrassment but he has never been one to be pushed around.
“Self-awareness is not one of his qualities… He’s certainly not thinking of the wider interests of the Royal Family.”
Mr Lownie also said the whole saga is part of a “wider fight” and that Andrew is considering his own growing brood of immediate family - Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie and their husbands and children are another factor in why he is he also refusing to move.
Nevertheless, Andrew has no need for “such a large garden and house”, Mr Lownie said.
To add further uncertainty into the equation, it's been rumoured that Prince Andrew's Royal Lodge home, which he shares with his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, has been earmarked for the Prince and Princess of Wales.
But earlier this week we reported William and Kate have confirmed that they will be staying in their Adelaide Cottage family home for many years to come despite the Royal Lodge originally being put aside for the Wales family.
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