Prince Andrew’s war with the King could get even messier as Rachel Reeves may be dragged into the bitter feud.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves could be forced to reveal where Prince Andrew’s money to fund his lease at the Royal Lodge is coming from the Crown Estate.
The Crown Estate transfers its profits to the Treasury, overseen by Racheal Reeves, which has general oversight of its business.
Labour MPs have spoken out demanding transparency over Andrews’s new financial backer, fearing that the Duke of York is exploiting the foreign business contacts he accumulated during the decade he spent as Britain’s trade envoy.
Prince Andrew’s war with the King is set to get even messier as Rachel Reeves is dragged into the bitter feud.
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Leeds Labour MP Alex Sobel said: “Full disclosure of these funding arrangements is vital to uphold the reputation of the Royal Family.”
York Central Labour MP Rachael Maskell told the Mail on Sunday: “When the funding for the Royal Family is due to rise by £45 million next year to a staggering £132 million, serious questions need to be asked as to why the monarch’s brother continues to reside at his mansion.
“There must be greater transparency on the source of the money that has allowed Andrew to stay at Royal Lodge.”
It comes after King Charles told his brother that his “£1million-a-year” allowance would finally be axed.
Prince Andrew signed a 75-year lease agreement with the Crown Estate for the Royal Lodge in 2003.GETTYPrince Andrew has relied on funding from Charles since he stepped down from royal life after his infamous Newsnight interview in 2019 but has now found alternative financing.
This week, the keeper of the privy purse, Sir Michael Stevens, confirmed that the money the Duke of York will use to stay at Royal Lodge comes from legitimate sources.
Andrew signed a 75-year lease agreement with the Crown Estate for Royal Lodge in 2003 and is refusing to leave the property.
Despite not being an official working royals, Andrew and his former wife Sarah Ferguson still reside at Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate, fuelling a feud between the Duke and King Charles.
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Prince Andrew spends much of his time at Royal LodgePAPrince Andrew has been widely unpopular with the public since the release of a BBC interview where he discussed his friendship with late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with both Amazon and Netflix releasing TV dramas highly critical of the father of two.
Royal experts have warned that Andrew’s finances’ secrecy could plunge the Royal Family into a fresh scandal.
A former minister and expert in royal finances, Norman Baker, said: ‘It is stretching credibility to believe he has legitimate sources of income that enable him to pay a big rent and undertake the necessary repair work, to that building, particularly when he appeared to have nothing just a matter of weeks ago.”