Prince Andrew's funding cut off by King, says book

Prince Andrew has been under pressure about paying for his home at Royal Lodge

The Duke of York has been cut off financially by his brother King Charles, according to an updated royal biography.

Prince Andrew had been under financial pressure over the cost of running his 30-room home at Royal Lodge in Windsor.

But it's now claimed by royal author Robert Hardman that the King has decided to stop paying for security at Prince Andrew's house or to provide a personal allowance. Together, these costs are believed to amount to several million pounds a year.

Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on the book's claims, which are being serialised by the Daily Mail.

The claim over Prince Andrew's income being stopped comes in an updated version of a biography of King Charles, written by the royal author Robert Hardman.

It says that the Keeper of the Privy Purse, who looks after the royal finances, has been instructed to end the personal allowance and security payments for Prince Andrew.

It had already been understood by the BBC that the King was not willing to subsidise Prince Andrew indefinitely - but this suggests a final decision has now been taken to cut him off.

The prince, who no longer has an official spokesperson, has so far not responded to the claims over losing this funding.

But it would mean that he would have to find his own way of paying the upkeep and security of Royal Lodge, a 19th Century listed building in Windsor. It is believed that there would be a high cost to maintain the large property, which is leased from the Crown Estate.

This financial pressure on the prince comes after the release of two separate films this year - made by Netflix and Amazon - about his interview on BBC Newsnight in 2019, in which he was questioned about his connections to the US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The prince stepped down as a working royal and later lost his military titles and royal patronages and withdrew to a private life at Royal Lodge. A commentator described him as being "de-royalled".

Although it is the King now said to be taking action on funding, sources have previously suggested this has been part of a longer-term question, pre-dating the King's reign, about settling 64-year-old Prince Andrew's future accommodation and finances.

Rather than the extensive home at Royal Lodge, previously occupied by the Queen Mother, it has been suggested that the prince could move to the smaller Frogmore Cottage, once occupied by Prince Harry and Meghan, as it would have a much lower maintenance and security cost.

The updated royal biography claims the King has financially cut off his brother

Frogmore Cottage can be used at the discretion of the monarch, while Royal Lodge remains a leased property, owned independently by the Crown Estate, which could be used for other commercial purposes.

But the prince has his own personal lease on Royal Lodge, which lasts until 2078, and if he can pay his own way he can remain at the house, which he has shared with his ex-wife Sarah.

The prince paid considerable amounts up-front when he took on the lease for Royal Lodge in 2003, which has meant lower costs for him in the longer term, making it less of an incentive to leave now.

The house had been in need of renovation and he took on the initial repairs of more than £7.5m. There was also a one-off payment of £2.5m as a way of buying out the annual rental.

He also made a one-off payment of £1m to his landlords, the Crown Estate, according to documents from the National Audit Office.

But there was a clause that if he left the house within 25 years of the start of the lease he would receive compensation for his original payment on repairs - with that amount shrinking each year.

With less than four years left on that arrangement, he would not stand to recoup much of the £7.5m he spent on renovating the house - another incentive not to give up his lease.

But there are still high costs of security and maintenance - and Robert Hardman's books says the King will no longer be picking up the bills.

He quotes a source as saying: "The duke is no longer a financial burden on the King."

Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story by Robert Hardman, will be published by Macmillan on 7 November.

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