Prince Andrew appears to be clinging on the last straw of hope as he tries to salvage Royal Lodge for his two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
King Charles and his shamed brother have been in an ongoing row over the 30-room royal Windsor mansion, as the monarch planned to downgrade Andrew to Prince Harry and Meghan’s former Windsor home, Frogmore Cottage.
Despite Andrew showing “legitimate” sources of income to stay in the Lodge, Charles can influence a decision to kick him out of his home. However, a property buying agent revealed that Andrew can still manage to keep his Windsor home on 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,” real estate expert Robin Edwards told GB News.
The expert explained that the 75-year lease agreement in lieu of rent, requires the non-working royal to “undertake refurbishments of Royal Lodge at his own expense”. He noted that back in 2002, the cost of repairs was “conservatively estimated at £7.5 million” which was $9.5 million USD.
“The costs are likely to have grown significantly since then with time and inflation,” he added.
Edwards pointed out that given the damage seen in the photos of the exterior, crumbling stonework and peeling paint, this would not be just a “simple renovation”. Previous reports also revealed that the house is plagued with mould issues.
It remains to be seen how Prince Andrew will be coping with financial struggles especially after King Charles cuts off the royal funds.