The disgraced Prince Andrew is has been lobbying his brother King Charles for a royal estate after being told to vacate his Royal Lodge mansion.
The Mirror reported that the disgraced Duke of York is refusing to leave the palatial 30-bedroom Windsor home after he was told to leave because of planned budget cuts to the royal finances. The 63-year-old Andrew has even offered to run some of the most prestigious estates in the Royal Family’s portfolio which is understood to include the late Queen’s beloved Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire.
Sources have told the Mirror how the Duke pleaded with the King for a “top role”, believing the responsibility and prestige with running the properties would offer him a way back into the fold.
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One insider said: “Andrew is insisting on having a job despite being made to stand down from his duties and now he’s being kicked out of his home. He’s of the opinion that he is still a senior member of the family, despite not being a working royal and deserves to be treated as such.
“He is prepared to take on the responsibility of a big role running an estate and still thinks he is far too young to retire. However, the King certainly has a wildly different view to that of his brother and has told him straight, there is no chance of that happening.”
The King has resisted all attempts by Andrew and daughters Eugenie and Beatrice, who are also understood to have met His Majesty to fight their father’s case.
Despite the King’s insistence that he is not for turning, sources close to Andrew suggest he is prepared to “dig his heels in” after being told he must leave his Royal Lodge home.
Andrew’s finances continue to be shrouded in mystery after he paid £12million to his sex abuse accuser Virginia Giuffre last year in an out of court settlement to halt a full civil trial, while still denying her claims.
He also sold a luxury Swiss chalet for £17m, co-owned with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, but is understood to have debts on the property. However, he may have benefited from an inheritance in the Queen’s will.
It emerged this week that Charles has offered Andrew more modest accommodation after evicting Prince Harry and his family from their UK base on the Windsor estate. The Sussexes received notice from the King to vacate their five-bedroom Frogmore Cottage a day after Harry published his explosive memoir Spare. A spokesman said they were “OK” with it.
The King offered Andrew the residence without informing them, believing he would move as his own house has a serious damp problem and needs a new roof. The Duke of York’s home needs millions spent on it in repairs, as well as an annual upkeep of £400,000 a year, which palace officials believe he can not afford in his present situation.
A spokesman for the Duke of York did not respond for comment, while Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
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