Reports have been circulating for months about a dispute between King Charles and his younger brother, the Duke of York, regarding Andrew’s living arrangements.
Currently, the Duke resides in the Royal Lodge on the Windsor Estate with his ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York.
The 75-year-old monarch has been urging his brother to move to Frogmore Cottage, previously the residence of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The cottage, situated within the secure perimeter of the Windsor estate, has undergone significant renovations. Since Andrew’s police protection was withdrawn, he now relies on a private security team, which reportedly costs the King around £3 million annually, reported Mirror.
Despite it appearing that a move to Frogmore would be in everyone’s best interest, it’s said that Andrew has consistently turned down the generous offer. Now, fresh reports suggest Charles is running out of patience with his sibling, leading him to present Andrew with a stark choice.
The first option would require Andrew to become financially independent, covering his own living expenses, including security and maintenance of his home. Alternatively, he could choose to move to “more suitable accommodation,” with King Charles reportedly suggesting Frogmore Cottage as an ideal alternative.
Speaking to OK!, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond looked at the situation facing Andrew and his brother, the King. Known for her insightful royal scoops, Jennie revealed that the most prudent course of action for Andrew would be to agree to the King’s “sensible” proposition and relocate to a more affordable residence while the offer still stands.
“The King knows that having a disgraced Duke idling his time away in a 30 room mansion that requires up to half a million pounds of upkeep every year and something like £2million in security costs to keep him there, looks bad. Andrew seems to spend most of his time either riding around the huge estate on horseback or reportedly sitting in front of a big screen watching live coverage of planes landing and taking off. It’s not a good look.”
She offered further advice: “So the obvious answer is to persuade him to move to the vacant Frogmore cottage which has been magnificently refurbished for £2.4million which of course Harry and Meghan finally repaid.”
Jennie added: “It seems like a perfectly sensible and generous offer by the King to continue to pay the costs for his brother. The security would presumably be less at Frogmore because it is much closer to Windsor and within the I security cordon already in place around the castle and its environs. It’s time this grand old Duke of York marched down the hill to a property he can afford!”
