Technology
Fresh photos of Prince Andrew's 'crumbling' home revealed as he stands firm on lease
Prince Andrew, 65, has been stripped of his royal titles, but he remains living at his royal residence, Royal Lodge, rent free. The former Duke of York has been embroiled in the Jeffrey Epstein controversy for years now, and with newly released emails putting him in further hot water, there are growing calls from members of the public for him to leave his Windsor home. He has resided there since 2004, and his lease is valid until 2078. While King Charles' brother has paid millions in repair costs since moving in, parts of the building are crumbling as fresh photos have revealed. Pictures taken of the exterior of Royal Lodge show areas of disrepair, with crumbling paintwork and cracks evidently visible. While these images only show a number of issues, this is likely to form part of a bigger problem, with the property requiring further attention.
Property expert, Terry Fisher of We Buy Any Home, explained to HELLO! that the lodge is in need of urgent restoration, and these works would cost upwards of £250,000. "Royal Lodge appears to be showing visible signs of ageing, including peeling paint, mould on exterior bricks, and likely underlying damp or poor insulation. These issues point to postponed maintenance that could lead to more serious structural damage if not addressed soon," he said. So far, Andrew has found the money to pay for the upkeep, but perhaps staying there is no longer financially viable.
Why doesn't King Charles remove Prince Andrew from Royal Lodge?
While the King cut off his brother financially last year, he isn't able to remove him from the property legally, because there is a lease in place. This type of agreement with The Crown Estate is fairly commonplace, and in my career of writing about royal homes, I've come across multiple royals who have leased residences from the monarch.
A copy of the leasehold agreement for Royal Lodge, which was obtained by The Times, revealed that while Andrew paid £1 million for the lease plus at least £7.5 million for refurbishments (which were completed in 2005), he has paid only "one peppercorn (if demanded)" in rent per year, since 2003. Peppercorn rent is a legal term describing the symbolic payment of rent by Prince Andrew to the Crown Estate.
In a special episode of A Right Royal Podcast, Andrew Lownie author of bestselling book The Rise and Fall of the House of York, predicted that Andrew could leave "voluntarily."
"He has this ironclad lease as long as he maintains the terms of that lease," he says, before adding: "The only way I think he can go is to voluntarily go. The optics look terrible for a non-working royal in a 30-room mansion. And he, of course, is an honourable man and he always puts the country and the monarchy first, so I hope he will do the right thing."
"Only pressure that could be put on him is how his daughters are treated and maybe if the screws are put on to them, in terms of their future, he might do that."
Prince Andrew, 65, has been stripped of his royal titles, but he remains living at his royal residence, Royal Lodge, rent free. The former Duke of York has been embroiled in the Jeffrey Epstein controversy for years now, and with newly released emails putting him in further hot water, there are growing calls from members of the public for him to leave his Windsor home. He has resided there since 2004, and his lease is valid until 2078. While King Charles' brother has paid millions in repair costs since moving in, parts of the building are crumbling as fresh photos have revealed. Pictures taken of the exterior of Royal Lodge show areas of disrepair, with crumbling paintwork and cracks evidently visible. While these images only show a number of issues, this is likely to form part of a bigger problem, with the property requiring further attention.
Property expert, Terry Fisher of We Buy Any Home, explained to HELLO! that the lodge is in need of urgent restoration, and these works would cost upwards of £250,000. "Royal Lodge appears to be showing visible signs of ageing, including peeling paint, mould on exterior bricks, and likely underlying damp or poor insulation. These issues point to postponed maintenance that could lead to more serious structural damage if not addressed soon," he said. So far, Andrew has found the money to pay for the upkeep, but perhaps staying there is no longer financially viable.
Why doesn't King Charles remove Prince Andrew from Royal Lodge?
While the King cut off his brother financially last year, he isn't able to remove him from the property legally, because there is a lease in place. This type of agreement with The Crown Estate is fairly commonplace, and in my career of writing about royal homes, I've come across multiple royals who have leased residences from the monarch.
A copy of the leasehold agreement for Royal Lodge, which was obtained by The Times, revealed that while Andrew paid £1 million for the lease plus at least £7.5 million for refurbishments (which were completed in 2005), he has paid only "one peppercorn (if demanded)" in rent per year, since 2003. Peppercorn rent is a legal term describing the symbolic payment of rent by Prince Andrew to the Crown Estate.
In a special episode of A Right Royal Podcast, Andrew Lownie author of bestselling book The Rise and Fall of the House of York, predicted that Andrew could leave "voluntarily."
"He has this ironclad lease as long as he maintains the terms of that lease," he says, before adding: "The only way I think he can go is to voluntarily go. The optics look terrible for a non-working royal in a 30-room mansion. And he, of course, is an honourable man and he always puts the country and the monarchy first, so I hope he will do the right thing."
"Only pressure that could be put on him is how his daughters are treated and maybe if the screws are put on to them, in terms of their future, he might do that."
