Royal home now up for grabs because Prince Andrew refuses to move to Frogmore

Prince Andrew’s refusal to move out of his seven-bedroom home at Windsor has left another royal property up for grabs.

The King wanted his disgraced brother to leave Royal Lodge, which is increasingly dilapidated and in need of major renovation, and move him into Frogmore Cottage after evicting Harry and Meghan from the five-bedroom property on the monarch’s Windsor estate.

But Andrew, 63, is refusing to move and, although Harry, 38, is understood to have stayed at Frogmore Cottage for three nights this week there is currently no prospect of him and Meghan retaining the house.

The King has no power to remove Andrew from Royal Lodge because it is owned by the Crown Estate, an arms-length property empire that makes money for the Government, and in 2003 the Duke of York signed a 75-year-lease on the house.

But the concern inside the Royal Family is that in his reduced circumstances, with no support from the taxpayer after stepping down from official royal duties, Andrew may not be able to pay for the upkeep.

The 30-room house is said to need £1 million spent on painting the outside alone and if Andrew moved out, it is thought it would be at least two years before it was ready to be let to someone else.

Frogmore Cottage, in contrast, forms part of the Occupied Royal Palaces estate, a collection of more than 200 properties including Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Clarence House, part of Kensington Palace, St James’s Palace, and many more homes let out to family members, staff, former aides, and commercial renters.

Queen Victoria “annexed” Frogmore Cottage from the Crown Estate, which no longer owns it and, unless King Charles hands it back, it will join a growing list of empty royal properties on the taxpayer-fu

Видео Royal home now up for grabs because Prince Andrew refuses to move to Frogmore канала Royal Family Today