Prince Andrew has reportedly come up with the money to stay in his longtime Windsor home, Royal Lodge, but many royal watchers have wondered what will happen to the property once he's gone. Amid reports that he would like to leave the house to daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, one expert has spoken about the possibility of that scenario actually happening.
Prince Andrew was granted a 75-year lease from the Crown Estate when he moved into the Windsor property—which was formerly the home of the Queen Mother— in 2003.
Robin Edwards of London property buying agency Curetons told GB News that the Duke of York, 64, could leave Royal Lodge to his daughters, but with one condition.
“As long as Prince Andrew can continue to pay the not insignificant upkeep costs of maintaining Royal Lodge as per the terms of his 2003 lease, King Charles and the freeholder the Crown Estate won’t be able to turf him or his descendants out," the real estate expert said.
That might be easier said than done, however. “The 75-year lease agreement, in lieu of rent, requires Andrew to undertake refurbishments of Royal Lodge at his own expense," Edwards said, adding that costs were "conservatively estimated at £7.5 million" ($9.5 million USD) in 2002.
"The costs are likely to have grown significantly since then with time and inflation," the property expert continued, explaining that due to the historic nature of the home, it's not a quick and simple renovation.
Edwards noted that Royal Lodge "reportedly requires a huge amount of work" and that it suffers from "crumbling stonework and peeling paint," among other issues. Previous reports have stated that the house is also plagued with mold issues.
When it comes to the interiors, Princess Beatrice's husband has been rumored to be helping out with the updating process, and Edwards shared that "much of the internal decor hasn’t been updated since the late Queen Mother moved into the property in the 1950s.”
Princess Beatrice, who is expecting her second child in the spring, and Princess Eugenie have been said to be spending a lot of time with their father at Royal Lodge in recent months, per Hello! "The girls take the grandchildren to visit him most weekends," an insider told the magazine.
"They are spending far more time with him now than they have done in recent years," the source continued. "They are quite close to their father; they seem to be quite protective towards him."
Earlier this month, the Times reported that Prince Andrew had secured enough money to stay at Royal Lodge after his brother King Charles allegedly cut him off from his allowance.
"It is understood that Prince Andrew’s money has been approved by Sir Michael Stevens, the keeper of the privy purse, as coming from legitimate sources," the Times wrote.
As for whether the unemployed Duke of York—who was forced to step down from royal duties in 2019 after being faced with sexual assault allegations—can continue to come up with the funds to maintain such an expensive property in the long run, that remains to be seen.
