King Charles is 'infuriated' by Prince Andrew's stubbornness over staying at Royal Lodge, the home he shares with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. To complicate matters further, the property is reportedly being eyed up by a working senior royal - Prince William.
- King Charles is 'infuriated' by Prince Andrew's refusal to leave Royal Lodge, despite recent controversies, as his grace and favor lease has several decades left.
- To add fuel to the King's fire, his eldest son and heir to the throne Prince William is said to be interested in moving there with his growing family.
- In other royal news, The 'hardest thing' Princess Catherine ever had to do involved William, Harry and Meghan.
Despite being stripped of his military titles and no longer being a working royal, Prince Andrew still resides in Royal Lodge.
According to reports from Page Six, the King is 'infuriated' by his brother's assistance in staying in the home.
“Andrew doesn’t want to leave because the property is seen as a symbol of senior royalty - an important property in the family’s portfolio,” a royal source told the publication.
“But William, who is the heir to the throne, has his eye on it.”
As it stands, the Prince of Wales lives with his wife Princess Catherine, and three growing children in Adelaide Cottage, a four-bedroom home in Windsor. Apart from potentially needing a little extra space to house his family - status also comes into play, claims the source.
“It makes a lot more sense for William to have this house to reflect his new role particularly as Andrew is no longer a ‘working royal’ and therefore doesn’t need an office or to entertain dignitaries.”
In the run-up to King Charles's Coronation, it's not only the whispers surrounding Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's coronation invite - which at the time of writing remains unanswered - that's causing him anxiety.
Although the late Queen stripped Prince Andrew of his military honors and royal patronages following allegations of sexual abuse, which he strenuously denies, the Prince remains hugely unpopular in the public sphere.
Earlier this year a YouGov survey to discover the most popular royal found him to have only 7% approval rating - the bottom of the rung in the family's rating.
“Relations between the king and his brother have never been this bad,” a source told Page Six. “It has turned into a real battle which he never expected and it’s left him tired and infuriated.”
Following the confirmation of Harry and Meghan's Frogmore Cottage departure, many reported that it could be an ideal home for Prince Andrew - but this five bed home pales in comparison to Royal Lodge.
The grand property is a private home and belongs to The Crown Estate, which is a collection of holdings that belong to the British monarch.
In other words, it's a grace and favor property - which can be rented by the King to whoever he wants. The Grade II-listed Royal Lodge was originally built to enable George IV to entertain guests during Royal Ascot. However, in more recent years it's been the residence of senior royals including the Queen Mother and the Yorks.
It was the Duke of York who signed a 75-year lease on the property back in 2003, a year after his grandmother's death, and who funded a £7.5M refurbishment to bring it up to date.
