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The growing suspicion that King Charles is trying to push Prince Andrew out of the crown’s Royal Lodge has intensified in recent days after the monarch moved to axe his disgraced brother’s security personnel.
The Duke of York has lived in the 30-room mansion in Windsor Great Park for over 20 years, but after his friendship with convicted paedophile Jefferey Epstein came to light, which forced him to resign from royal duties, the King is thought to have considered the property too extravagant.
Earlier this year, it was reported Andrew refused an offer to move out of Royal Lodge into the nearby Frogmore Cottage.
The duke had signed a 75-year lease on the mansion in 2003, which entitles him to stay at Royal Lodge for £250 a week and meant Charles has no legal grounds to evict him from the property.
However, the King appears to have now resorted to stealthier tactics to remove him. By axing the duke’s entire security team Andrew now has to either finance for them himself - which could cost millions for the duke with no viable income - or leave the mansion entirely.
A palace insider told the The Sun: “Everyone is speculating this means the duke will have to leave the Royal Lodge because what other reason could there be to take his security away?
Sources added: “It isn’t a secret that the King wants him out.”
Andrew’s private security have been privately funded by Charles after he lost publicly-funded police protection in 2022 alongside his military affiliations and royal patronages.
If Andrew decides he cannot personally finance security at the lodge, he will be forced to move to another residence.
While he turned down Frogmore months ago, this seems like a likely choice for a future move. The Grade II-listed Frogmore Cottage has been part of the royal family’s property portfolio since the 19th century.
Over the years, various members of the royal family have lived in the 10-bedroom house, which was first built as a retreat for Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George III, in 1801.
It came to wider public attention for being the first marital home and UK residence of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
However, the couple were officially evicted from the property in 2023 after the release Prince Harry’s bombshell autobiography, Spare.
Harry and Meghan carried out renovations on the cottage using £2.4 million of taxpayer’s money, but have since paid it back in full by making a contribution to the Sovereign Grant.
The lodge may be more familiar to Andrew than most, as it was reported that Harry’s cousin and Andrew’s daughter, Princess Eugenie, and her husband Jack Brooksbank moved into the property briefly in 2021 after they had their first child.
If Andrew is adamant on avoiding a residence at Frogmore, he may instead consider Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate.
The five-bedroom red brick property was home to Prince Phillip following his retirement in 2017 and would certainly keep Andrew away from the public eye.
It has been used over the years by several members of the royal family. King George V and Queen Mary’s youngest son, Prince John, resided at Wood Farm with his with his nurse away from his family, due to his epileptic condition before he died aged 13 in 1919.
Princess Diana and Kate Middleton are also believed to have stayed at the property before they married.
The humble abode could be the perfect fit for Andrew, as the York family have reportedly spent past Christmases at the home.
