The Duke of York is said to be “refusing to budge” from his current residence in Royal Lodge despite fears that his brother, King Charles III, may “turn off the utilities to get him out of there”.
Prince Andrew is understood to have been offered Frogmore Cottage as his official residence, after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were asked to vacate the property earlier this year.
However, the disgraced duke is reportedly unwilling to leave the 30-room mansion and downsize to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s former UK residence.
According to reports by US journalist Daphne Barak, sources close to Andrew have said he is “concerned that now the coronation is over, the knives are out”.
Previously, it was reported that the duke worried he would no longer be able to afford to maintain Royal Lodge after the King cuts his annual £250,000 allowance from the late Queen Elizabeth II.
A source was quoted as saying: “[Andrew] is so fragile. He’s refusing to see anybody. This has been his family home for the past 20 years. Is it really sensible to kick him out?
“He’s concerned that now the coronation is over, the knives are out. He’s worried that the royals might even turn off the utilities to get him out of there. But we’re dealing with human beings, not real estate.”
It has been said that, if and when Andrew moves out of Royal Lodge, the Prince and Princess of Wales are expected to take up residence there.
At present, Prince William and Kate Middleton live in Adelaide Cottage in Home Park. They moved there last year to be closer to their children’s school, Lambrook School, which is near Ascot in Berkshire.
Another source was quoted in Barak’s articles as saying: “If Charles wants Andrew to play ball and help the family, aren’t there better ways of going about it? Why not do the decent thing, sit down and talk?
“If they need the house for William, perhaps Andrew should be told. Perhaps William should invite his uncle for tea and explain?”
Andrew shares the massive property, which encompasses 98 acres, with his former wife Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York. Their daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, visit them frequently there.
A family friend was quoted in the Daily Mail as saying: “Eugenie is heavily pregnant and her parents expect to have a new grandchild there this summer.
“Don’t forget that Sarah has been the glue holding the family together through this nightmare.”
Neither Andrew nor Ferguson are working royals. Ferguson was married to the duke from 1986 to 1996, and stepped down from the royal family following the divorce, although she remains close to Andrew.
The duke stepped down from royal duties in 2019 over his association with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. He was also stripped of his HRH style, military titles and patronages after he was sued by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre for sexual abuse when she was underage.
Andrew has vehemently denied the allegations and said he does not recall ever meeting Giuffre. He reached a multi-million pound settlement with Giuffre early last year and said he regretted his association with Epstein, who he acknowledged “trafficked countless young girls over many years”.
The last time Andrew was seen in public was at the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla, at which he held no formal role.
Buckingham Palace has declined to comment.
