While the nation basks in the good news about the Princess of Wales in her battle with cancer, the Royals’ troubles are not entirely over. The not-so-grand Duke of York, Prince Andrew, remains a baleful, apparently ungovernable character. Andrew is no longer a working royal, and is rarely, if ever, seen in public (not even at the Pizza Express in Woking). Instead, he prefers to entertain his remaining friends in the seclusion of Royal Lodge in Windsor. Yet even that Edenic existence might be about to come to an end; Andrew faces being expelled from his current residence, should he be unable to pay the substantial costs associated with it.
As a reminder (as if we could ever forget!) of Prince Andrew’s Newsnight interview shame is about to be broadcast on Amazon Prime next week in the appropriately titled A Very Royal Scandal, the Duke of York’s already diminished standing could barely be lower. Emily Maitlis says Andrew ‘lost the respect of the nation’ after her infamous Newsnight interview with him. It’s hard to disagree. In the years since that infamous 2019 programme, Andrew’s reputation has not recovered. The King has now issued him with an ultimatum of sorts; either become self-sufficient and pay the costs of living in Royal Lodge yourself, or move to accommodation more in keeping with your diminished status. He has been offered the nearby Frogmore Cottage, according to reports, which was previously home to the other royal outcasts Harry and Meghan.
For now, the so-called ‘Siege of Royal Lodge’ shows no signs of coming to an end. Andrew has a lease on the property until 2078 and is said to be refusing to contemplate leaving until then. The Duke has paid over £8.5 million, including over £7 million on renovations, already for the residence, which he moved into in August 2003, the year after its former resident the Queen Mother died. He is likely to claim that he has a right to remain in it – along with his former wife Sarah Ferguson – for as long as he pleases. In other words, like a grumpier, stouter Greta Garbo, Prince Andrew wants to be left alone.
Unfortunately for him, such a course of action seems unsustainable, for as long as he is financially dependent on his elder brother. Substantial subsidies from King Charles III and the Royal Family – which have enabled him to stay put in the house – are not going to be available indefinitely, the BBC is reporting.
If Prince Andrew was to somehow magically find a fairy godfather who could supply the millions of pounds each year for both his security and the house’s upkeep, then he could remain in situ. But this seems an extremely unlikely outcome. Yet the offer of Frogmore – where the King may continue to pick up the admittedly reduced tab for Andrew’s lifestyle – is unlikely to be greeted with gratitude or enthusiasm.
Andrew is not going to end his days in a cardboard box besides the Embankment, any more than he is destined to spend a significant amount of time at His Majesty’s Pleasure. Yet it will undeniably be galling that the Duke knows that his continued lifestyle does, indeed, rely on His Majesty’s tolerance, and that his near-superhuman patience has now run out. A less stubborn man might take the handout that he is being generously offered. There is a significant chance that it will not remain on the table forever.
