‘This is about Charles telling Andrew he must use his own money to pay for things’
Prince Andrew is getting ready to move out of his 30-room royal residence in the grounds of Windsor Castle as King Charles III prepares to cut his brother’s income.
The Duke of York has lived in the Royal Lodge, which has a 98-acre estate, since 2003, when he secured a 75-year lease.
The property is expensive to keep up and already in need of repairs, and at the same time the king is reportedly planning to cut Andrew’s £249,000 annual allowance.
As a result, Andrew will not be able to maintain the Royal Lodge, forcing him to move out instead.
“It feels as though his brother wishes to evict him,” a source told the Sun. “Andrew and Sarah are distraught they have been given such short notice.
“The Queen died only a few months ago.
“He’s not being explicitly kicked out but it’s expected that he won’t be able to afford the maintenance.
“Royal Lodge has a swimming pool, 98 acres of land and is already in need of some repair.”
If his annual allowance is slashed, Andrew will only have his navy pension to rely on, as his business investments are not delivering much income.
Charles has assured he would not let his brother become homeless though.
“This is about Charles telling Andrew he can use his own money to pay for things,” a source close to the monarch said.
“The same goes for other members of the family, such as Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
“And while there is leniency with working members of the family, who have offices funded by the Sovereign Grant, there have been other examples.”
The source added: “Charles doesn’t feel he should pay for the upkeep of ponies to pull the carriage.
“He knows the public won’t want to see money wasted — particularly in the current climate.”
It is not known where Andrew will end up living once he moves out.
His ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who has been living with him in the Royal Lodge since 2008, bought a £5 million house in Mayfair but this would be somewhat unsuitable for Andrew’s horses and dogs.
Andrew was kicked out of Buckingham Palace after the Queen died, and stripped of taxpayer-funded armed police guard, although the King agreed to pay for private security.
The Duke also had a house, Sunninghill in Berkshire, as a wedding present from the Queen, but had later sold it to the billionaire son-in-law of the Kazakh president for £15 million.
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