Prince Andrew's fight to keep Royal Lodge could force Crown to start removing valuables

Prince Andrew has been embroiled successful a statement implicit whether helium should proceed to inhabit the Royal Lodge astatine Windsor, but a royal adept has suggested it could soon beryllium a hollow victory

The ongoing saga surrounding Prince Andrew's residence astatine the Royal Lodge successful Windsor is acold from over, with Royal commentators predicting further complications for the embattled Royal. On the Palace Confidential podcast, Robert Hardman, writer of a biography connected King Charles, hinted that Prince Andrew’s grip connected his plush Windsor accommodation whitethorn beryllium tenuous, contempt his intentions to enactment put.

Hardman pointed out: "The King is precise conscious that [The Lodge] is not wholly successful his gift. It's a Crown Estate spot and the Crown Estate yet answers to the government. The King can't evict him, and wouldn't privation to anyway."

Despite seemingly securing the funds to stay astatine the Royal residence, determination are increasing concerns implicit whether the Duke of York tin upkeep it to a satisfactory standard, which mightiness invitation caller problems. As Hardman remarked: "The Royal Collection, which owns rather a batch of the treasures wrong there, whitethorn say: 'Well, we can't beryllium assured that this spot is harmless anymore,' and they'll commencement taking the paintings and immoderate of the furnishings away."

According to the Express, Hardman underscored the contentious quality of Prince Andrew’s assertion implicit the Grade II listed property, valued astatine astir £30 million, stressing its humanities inhabitancy by royals actively serving the nation. He observed: "That's a location that has ever belonged to idiosyncratic who performs nationalist duties connected behalf of the nation. It ever was erstwhile George the Sixth lived there, erstwhile Queen Mother lived there, and Prince Andrew to statesman with."

"He was performing nationalist duties and truthful determination was an work by the authorities to look aft that property, to marque definite it was secure. Now [Andrew] has got nary nationalist life, nary imaginable of a nationalist life, and I deliberation that does bring into question what he's inactive doing successful a spot that was a location for galore years of a sovereign."

In Robert's book, it is highlighted that Prince Andrew's fiscal concern is somewhat opaque. A Palace insider is quoted: "He claims to person recovered different sources of income related to his contacts successful planetary trade, capable to screen each his costs – which would beryllium a invited result for each parties if that turns retired to beryllium the case. But arsenic to whether this backing tin beryllium relied upon successful the agelong word is different matter."

The writer speculates staying successful the expansive 30-room residence is present a substance of pridefulness for Andrew.

"Someone said to maine the different day, he's got thing else," Robert commented further. "He's got nary nationalist life. He has nary nationalist role. And he's intelligibly devoted to this home, and helium likes being there. So, if helium tin marque it work, he's going to try."