Prince Andrew 'finds money to stay in Royal Lodge' after being cut off by Charles when King's 'patience ran out'
8 November 2024, 21:24 | Updated: 8 November 2024, 21:25
Prince Andrew is said to have come up with the money to stay in his home after King Charles cut him off financially.
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The King had earlier made the decisive move to cut his brother off, instructing the Keeper of the Privy Purse, the official in control of royal finances, to end his annual allowance, believed to be worth around £1 million.
Andrew will also lose his multi-million-pound 24-hour private security deal.
To keep his allowance, Charles had demanded Andrew leave his Royal Lodge and move into Frogmore Cottage, the former home of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, or be cut off. Andrew, however, refused to leave the lodge.
Now he has found his own money to stay in the 30-room Windsor mansion and keep it up - an expensive undertaking.
The Keeper of the Privy Purse is satisfied that the money comes from legitimate sources, the Times reported.
A source told the paper: “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.”
Andrew's private security has been privately funded by Charles after he lost publicly-funded police protection in 2022 amid allegations of sexual assault.
“The duke is no longer a financial burden on the King,” a source told the MailOnline.
Andrew, who has seen his public standing plummet in recent years due to his friendship with the infamous sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, allegedly tried to call his older brother’s bluff in a failed attempt to keep the cash.
A source told the Times in May: "The King’s kindness is not without limit and there is a very good option for Andrew to move into Frogmore Cottage, recently vacated by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, which also has the benefit of being within the Windsor Castle security cordon hence reducing the need for alternative round-the-clock security for Royal Lodge.
"He is taking longer than desirable to recognise the reality of the situation, even though it is clearly the most sensible course of action.
"If he doesn’t agree to move to a property better suited to his needs, then the King may have to reconsider the levels of support he is willing to provide.”
In January, reports suggested Andrew would have to fund the multi-million-pound security costs at Royal Lodge himself if he wanted to stay in Royal Lodge.
Pressure has mounted on Andrew following the unsealing of hundreds of pages of court documents connected to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
The legal papers detailed how Epstein's former housekeeper Juan Alessi claimed the duke had daily massages when he spent "weeks" at the paedophile financier's Florida home.
Juan Alessi, who worked at Epstein's Palm Beach residence, said the duke and his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, were friends with Epstein and the now-convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.
Previous allegations Andrew sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre three times when she was 17 including during an orgy resurfaced in the court documents.
Andrew strenuously denies the claims and in 2022 paid millions to Ms Giuffre to settle a civil case out of court, saying he never met her.
