Prince Andrew is facing mounting pressure as his grand Windsor estate, the Royal Lodge, falls deeper into disrepair — a visible sign of the strain caused by King Charles’s decision to slash his beleaguered younger brother’s finances.
Visible cracks, crumbling paint and spreading black mold now mar the historic walls of the Duke of York’s 30-room mansion. The Royal Lodge, on 98 acres in Windsor Great Park, has been in royal hands for nearly a century.
Its walls witnessed Queen Elizabeth II’s childhood as a young princess — and after her father King George VI’s death, the Queen Mother continued to live there until 2002.
Prince Andrew has called it home since 2004, but as repair costs skyrocket, his future there is increasingly uncertain.
King Charles recently cut Andrew’s annual personal allowance — reported to be around $1.3 million — which previously helped offset the financial burden of managing the $38 million property.
This abrupt financial severance came on top of an earlier move by Charles to discontinue Andrew’s seven-figure private security funding, leaving him to cover all expenses on his own.
The shift follows the fallout from Andrew’s association with the late, disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, which led to his forced withdrawal from public life and growing isolation within the royal family.
Royal biographer Robert Hardman revealed in his updated biography that Charles has been acting decisively, adding, “The duke is no longer a financial burden on the King.”
This bold financial stance by Charles has put the onus on Andrew to maintain the costly estate he fought to keep. The message from the monarchy is clear: no support, no security and no special treatment. The Duke of York signed a 75-year lease on Royal Lodge in 2003, paying an initial $1.3 million and agreeing to a notional rent of around $336,000 per year.
This arrangement, however, came with hefty responsibilities; the lease includes a strict requirement to “repair, renew, uphold, clean and keep in repair” the residence, with interior redecoration due every seven years and exterior painting every five years, according to the Daily Mail.
Sources have told the outlet that Andrew is now behind on these obligations, with the last exterior work due in 2022 and interior work scheduled for this year. To date, the duke has spent close to $9 million on renovations since he moved in.
However, sources indicate that annual upkeep alone costs approximately $520,000, with major repairs now estimated to be over $2.6 million.
Rumors that Andrew was struggling to cover the upkeep emerged last year, and this month, the situation appears more critical than ever. Insiders claim to the Daily Mail that Charles has set a firm deadline, giving Andrew until year’s end to prove he has the funds to handle the mounting repairs — or risk losing his hold on the estate altogether.
“It’s the closest Andrew has come to being evicted since he stepped down as a working royal,” a source told The Express, underscoring the high stakes of Charles’s decision.
For months, Charles has reportedly encouraged Andrew to relocate to Frogmore Cottage, a smaller, more modest home recently vacated by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Andrew, however, has repeatedly refused, digging in his heels and refusing to downsize from the Royal Lodge. For the King, the move represents a decisive attempt to settle what insiders describe to The Express as the “Andrew issue.”
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