Andrew Mountbatten Windsor is reported to have an extensive list of demands when it comes to his new home on King Charles’s Sandringham Estate, prompting a ‘feud’ with the monarch
King Charles and his younger brother Andrew are said to be at loggerheads.
When the King released a blistering statement announcing that his disgraced sibling would be formally stripped of his royal titles, and throwing his support behind “survivors of any and all forms of abuse” it was also announced that Andrew would be giving up his lavish home, Royal Lodge.
Due to an “iron-clad” long-term lease that Andrew had for the 30-room mansion with the Crown Estate, there was no way for the monarch to force his brother out. Instead, the former prince had to agree to vacate the Grade II listed property near Windsor Castle voluntarily. For many years, Andrew had shared the home with his former wife, Sarah Ferguson, but when they do eventually pack up and leave – they will finally be going their separate ways, as the scandal over their ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein continues to unfold.
New reports have indicated that Andrew won’t be leaving as soon as it was initially claimed. Instead, it could be as long as February before the former duke gives back the keys to his home and sets off for pastures new. One reason for the delay, a new report has claimed, is the extensive list of demands that Andrew has for his new property, which will be on the King’s privately owned estate in Norfolk, Sandringham.
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Andrew is not willing to settle for less when it comes to selecting his new home, which will be one of the 150 properties on the King’s vast 20,000-acre estate. The disgraced royal reportedly wants nothing less than six or seven bedrooms available to him, as well as a full cohort of staff there to attend to his needs.
The Royalist newsletter reported that sources have told them: “Andrew is demanding a substantial six or seven bedroom house on the Sandringham Estate complete with staff including a cook, gardener, housekeeper, driver, and police security”.
Andrew might be subject to public disgrace, but behind closed doors, he is still reported to insist that the staff use his royal titles to address him, even if his elder brother has formally stripped him of them. The Royalist quotes a former courtier as saying about the ongoing negotiations surrounding Andrew’s living situation with the King, “Knowing Andrew, this was always going to be about money. Andrew is essentially being bought out of the lease, so he will haggle over every last detail of the deal.”
His lease on Royal Lodge was for 75 years, and saw him responsible for maintenance and major repairs, but it was recently revealed that he only paid a “peppercorn” rent for the lavish property. Similarly, Prince Edward’s home of Bagshot Park, it has emerged, is held under a similar deal.
Andrew would likely have expected that he would one day pass on the valuable lease to the enormous property to his daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, but he will no longer be able to do so once he formally gives it up. Biographer Andrew Lownie told the Mirror that it is not surprising Andrew would be trying to get the best deal for himself possible, in light of giving up the long repair lease.
“[He] had a very strong lease, one has to be practical, this was the only way to get him out, and it’s not taxpayer’s money thats being spent, thats up to Charles,” the author explained, adding: I think it has lanced the boil and averted what was turning out to be a major crisis so I can understand why he has done it.
He continued, “Life isn’t always fair,” but Andrew “had put £8.5million into this house which he expected to have for his children until 2078, so you know just to be fair to him this what happens when you take out long-leases, you know get some benefits from it, so I don’t think we can quibble about that.”
The reports about the ongoing negotiations and Andrew’s alleged unwillingness to compromise come as King Charles has removed two major royal honours from his younger brother, taking away further perks of royal life. Andrew has been erased from the 700-year-old Order of the Garter and the Royal Victorian Order, in which he was a Knight Companion and a Knight Grand Cross, respectively.
A former staffer of Andrew’s revealed to Lownie in his explosive book ‘Entitled: the Rise and Fall of the House of York’ that far beyond the stains on his public reputation, Andrew’s main grievance is the removal of his royal titles. “Remember, the most difficult thing for the Duke of York was not the allegations of sexual misconduct. It was being stripped of his royal titles and losing his key role with the Royal Family. He’s never gotten over this,” the staffer was quoted as saying.
After serving in the Royal Navy for 22 years, Andrew’s only remaining title is that of Vice Admiral. However, there are ongoing calls for this to be stripped too.
