Prince Andrew under mounting pressure to reveal mystery financier who helped him dodge Royal Lodge eviction
10 November 2024, 09:35
Prince Andrew is facing calls to reveal the secret source of funding that has allowed him to avoid eviction from the Royal Lodge in Windsor.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
The royal was poised to leave the 30-room mansion - which requires an estimated £3 million-a-year in security - after the King refused to bankroll his brother any longer.
However, on Friday it emerged that Andrew had found a financial backer in a last-minute deal, allowing him to remain at the property in Windsor Great Park.
It's claimed the King had previously urged the royal to move to more modest accommodation, with insiders allegedly dubbing the feud 'the siege of Royal Lodge'.
Following the bailout, the Prince is now facing pressure to reveal his financial backers, with commentators and politicians alike urging transparency.
It comes as a string of Labour MPs have demanded transparency over the Duke's backers.
Taking to X, Leeds MP Alex Sobel said: "Full disclosure of these funding arrangements is vital to uphold the reputation of the Royal Family."
Meanwhile, 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."
Adding: "There must be greater transparency on the source of the money that has allowed Andrew to stay at Royal Lodge."
Read more: Princess Kate continues return to duty as she appears at Festival of Remembrance
It has been reported that the Keeper of the Privy Purse, Sir Michael Stevens, approved the financing, leading many to speculate as to the origins of the money.
The King is believed to have severed his brother's annual personal allowance earlier this year - a sum believed to be in the region of £1 million a year.
It comes as French socialite, Isabelle de Rouvre, claimed she had lost more than £3 million in a dispute with Andrew and ex-wife Sarah Ferguson over the reported sale of a luxury ski chalet.
She told The Mail on Sunday, said: "I am missing millions as a result of this man. I reduced what he owed me because... they told me he did not have the money. I was left with little choice.
"Now he is saying he has plenty of finances – but where does this money now come from? They [Andrew and Sarah] were apparently so poor before they had to pay me, and now they are so rich."
