Prince Andrew has found the money to stay at Royal Lodge, after he was told earlier this year that he would have to vacate.
The funding the Duke of York will use comes from legitimate sources, Sir Michael Stevens, the keeper of the privy purse, has confirmed.
The Duke of York stepped down from royal life after his infamous Newsnight interview in 2019, but Queen Elizabeth II’s son still lives at Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate.
However, he was told earlier this year by his brother the King that he would need to leave and move into more affordable accommodation.
Prince Andrew gets his way as King Charles loses accommodation battle with his brotherPACharles suggested Andrew downsize to Frogmore Cottage, the former home of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Like the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Andrew lost his right to taxpayer-funded security after being stripped of his royal duties.
Just last week, the Duke was told that his “£1million-a-year” allowance would finally be axed.
An updated biography by royal commentator Robert Hardman has alleged that in recent weeks, the monarch instructed his Keeper of the Privy Purse to sever Andrew’s annual personal allowance.
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Prince Andrew spends the majority of his time at Royal Lodge in WindsorPAHe relied on the allowance to fund his living expenses and security team.
However, now, the Duke has appeared to convince Palace authorities to let him stay as he is able to cover the costs himself, The Times reports.
Andrew has proved that he has sufficient funds from legitimate sources to support himself, though it has not been confirmed where the money has come from.
A source said: “If Andrew can pay for his own upkeep with legitimate means, then it is not an issue. But the King’s patience has run out when it comes to funding his brother’s lifestyle in a way that does not fit his status.”
Charles suggested Andrew downsize to Frogmore Cottage
PA
The Duke of York stepped down from royal life after his infamous Newsnight interview in 2019
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Prince Andrew was interviewed by Emily Maitlis on Newsnight in 2019PA
Prince Andrew has lived at Royal Lodge with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, since 2004.
Earlier this year, he began renovating his Windsor home after falling behind on repairs, as he remained “determined” to hold onto the property no matter what.
In Prince Andrew’s 75-year lease agreement with the Crown Estate, it states that he must “repair, renew, uphold, clean and keep in repair and where necessary rebuild” the home.
The upkeep of Royal Lodge, which Andrew moved into in 2002, has cost him hundreds of thousands in annual maintenance work.
However, works have reportedly gone mostly uncompleted and the King was pushing his brother to relocate to somewhere that had less expensive upkeep expenses.