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Will Andrew be forced out of Royal Lodge?
Sources claim a “distraught” Prince Andrew believes King Charles is trying to force him out of his Windsor home by cutting his annual stipend. The Mail on Sunday says Andrew is “furious” at the prospect, meaning he will not be able to maintain the Royal Lodge’s upkeep. He thinks he might be out in September. A source told the Sun on Sunday: “It feels like his brother wants to evict him.”
A senior member of the royal family joked about Andrew’s situation at a recent meeting in Windsor, saying: “We’re going to kick Andrew out of this house,” according to the Mail and the Sun.
“They didn’t even wait ten days after the Queen’s mourning ended,” a source close to Andrew told the Mail when Andrew was told his circumstances were changing. “That’s when courtiers started bringing them the bad news.”
He lives at Royal Lodge with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. A source told the Sun: “Andrew and Sarah are distraught that they were notified at such short notice. The Queen passed away just a few months ago. He is not explicitly kicked out, but is expected to be unable to afford the upkeep. The Royal Lodge has a swimming pool, 98 acres of land and is already in need of repairs.”
While Andrew has leased the estate for 75 years, the problem he faces is funding upkeep, and Andrew’s public funds were halted when he was forced to step down as senior king after being accused of Virginia Giuffre sexually assaulted when she was a minor and was sexually trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew reportedly paid Giuffre millions of dollars in an out-of-court settlement and has strongly denied her claims. Recently there have been reports that he is focused on clearing his name, although Charles is adamant there is no going back to resuming his public royal life.
Britain’s King Charles, Britain’s Anne, Princess Royal, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, Britain’s William, Prince of Wales, and Britain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attend the State Funeral and the funeral of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth Part , at Windsor Castle in Windsor, United Kingdom, September 19, 2022.
Portal/Henry Nicholls/Pool
Another source told the Mail: “He will not be specifically kicked out, but it is expected that he cannot afford the upkeep.” Royal Lodge will be cut as early as April.”
The Mail says Andrew was previously funded by the Queen at £249,000 (around $300,000) a year but Charles wants all family members to cut spending. Andrew’s only other income is his marine pension.
However, the Mail says Andrew also has a “significant legacy” from Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. Speaking of Charles’ control of what royals now receive from the public purse, a source told the Sun: “He knows the public doesn’t want to see money wasted – especially in the current climate.”
Alongside his problems at Royal Lodge, Andrew is in the process of being evicted entirely from his seat at Buckingham Palace. Although no longer under the Metropolitan Police’s UK taxpayer-funded protection, he has private security funded by Charles.
Charles will not leave Andrew homeless or destitute, says the Sun, a source told the newspaper: ‘The point here is Charles telling Andrew he can use his own money to pay for things. The same goes for other family members like Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. And while there is leniency to working family members whose offices are funded by the Sovereign Grant, there have been other examples.”
A source told the Mail: “This is about Charles telling Andrew he can use his own money to pay for things. The same goes for other family members like Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. And while there is leniency to working family members whose offices are funded by the Sovereign Grant, there have been other examples. For example, Lady Louise, Sophie and Edward’s daughter, inherited Prince Philip’s carriage, but Charles does not feel that he should pay for the upkeep of the ponies to pull the carriage.”
Harry and Megan‘s coronation ‘dilemma‘
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are yet to make a decision on whether or not to attend the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla on May 6, with a source in their camp telling the Telegraph with admirable understatement: “It’s complicated. “
The comments to the Telegraph, attributed to a “friend,” likely accurately reflect the couple’s thoughts, as the newspaper is one of the few they are still involved with.
The newspaper says Harry understands it’s “quite the most important day” of Charles’ life and instinctively wants to be there, but taunts Harry, who extensively belittles his father and brother in his biography, for various mistakes and atrocities has accused Spare, the couple’s popularity has plummeted to historic lows and many believe they are booed when they appear in public.
Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, arrive at the United Nations headquarters in New York on July 18, 2022 to celebrate Nelson Mandela’s International Day.
Portal/Brendan McDermid
Harry has also indicated he would not be willing to attend the coronation without first having a reconciliation meeting with his family, telling ITV news anchor Tom Bradby, who asked him head-on if he would attend: “A lot can happen in between every now and then, but you know, the door is always open, the ball is up to them. There’s a lot to talk about and I really hope they’re ready to sit down and talk about it.”
However, the royals haven’t offered to meet and probably won’t, believing they don’t have to apologize for anything. Harry also published details of secret meetings in his book, and there are concerns that private meetings could later be made public.
“It’s complicated. There are a million different variables. Everyone could understand the predicament.”
— Boyfriend of Harry and Meghan
By making it clear that the couple will be invited, the royals have firmly planted the ball in their court, leaving Harry and Meghan in a dilemma.
“It’s complicated,” a friend told the newspaper, “there are a million different variables. Everyone could understand the predicament.”
The invites are due to be sent out in the next few days and the couple won’t make a decision until an invitation has been received, the Telegraph says. “They will cross this bridge when they reach it,” said the friend. “You have no insight. You are in limbo.”
So what is Meghan up to?
The Telegraph has a bang this weekend when it uncovered the mystery of the Instagram name @meghan, which emerged last summer with a previously unpublished childhood photo of Meghan just after she told The Cut magazine: “I’ll be back…on Instagram.” “
However, nothing has happened since then and the report notes that Meghan was “conspicuous by her absence” during Harry’s PR campaign for his book.
But, according to the Telegraph, there is a dizzying bustle behind the scenes. There have been major personnel changes at Archewell as the company seeks to shift its focus to creating scripted content and she has now teamed up with powerbroker Adam Lilling, who founded Plus Capital in 2012, who describes his mission as “the best influencers in the world – the ones who can make more change in a day than most in their lifetime.”
Most intriguingly, however, is a hint buried in the report by respected royal reporter Camilla Tominey that her “busy schedule and seemingly fewer staff” makes it “unlikely” that Meghan will attend the May 6 coronation… Oooh .
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Who paid for Fergie’s $5 million house?
Fergie’s outright purchase of a £4.25million ($5million) property in London’s posh Belgravia area last year caused headaches for many. How could she afford it? Was this the same Fergie who described herself as “constantly on the brink of financial bankruptcy” in a 2011 TV interview and who moved in with her ex-husband instead of building her own home?
A hint might appear now. The Mail on Sunday has revealed that official documents show she cannot sell the property without written consent signed by her daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, speaks during a public memorial service for singer Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis Presley’s only daughter, at Graceland Mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, the United States, on January 22, 2023.
Portal/Nikki Boertman
A legal source told the Mail that one explanation could be that it was their daughters who threw the money down, or that “whoever bought the property wants to make sure their daughters ultimately benefit.”
A source described as “close to the Duchess” told the Mail: “She bought it very much as a nest egg for the girls so it doesn’t surprise me at all that she made those kinds of arrangements.”
Insane coronation traditions: an update
The Times had a wonderful story this week about the work of the Coronation Claims Office, which is responsible for adjudicating applications or “claims” by aristocrats to perform their traditional roles at the Coronation.
These include the right to wear the king’s spurs, hold his right glove, taste his wine and even present him with a pair of falcons. An old regulation stipulates that a dutiful noble servant is paid in bales of velvet. Many of these dubious honors date back to the coronation of Richard II in 1377, since when nobles have made their ‘claim’ to perform duties for the sovereign at the coronation.
Reporter Valentine Low quotes the 7th Baron Carrington, 74, the new Lord Great Chamberlain (the role is a division of labor between three families that rotate with the change of government) as saying: “You can look up what Lord Great Chamberlains have done in the past – dressing and undressing the king, anointing him and so on – but that will be different. And no one has been told what their duties are. The only information I have is that I have to be there at 9.30am on the morning of the coronation. And there’s a map that shows me in a procession.”
We say bring on the falcons.
Adele and Ed Sheeran say no to the Coronation concert
Adele and Ed Sheeran have both turned down requests to play King Charles’ Coronation concert on May 7 as they claim they are too busy to do so.
A source involved with the project told the Mail on Sunday: “The King has suggested a number of people he would like to play and Adele and Ed were on that list. He was very interested that they were part of the concert. A team was put together to sign the talent so they approached the pair but were told they weren’t available which was a huge disappointment. Titans of the showbiz industry, they are quintessentially British, but also well known around the world. It’s such a shame.”
Adele poses with her Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance for “Easy On Me” during the 65th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, United States on February 5, 2023.
Portal/Mike Blake
The Mail says Sheeran had a concert scheduled in Texas the day before but could take a private jet to be at the coronation. It’s unknown what Adele’s schedule clash is because, according to the Mail, she didn’t “perform publicly” after her last concert in Las Vegas on March 25. Charles still hopes Harry Styles will play the concert. Lionel Richie is apparently close to saying yes, and Victoria Beckham (Posh) has yet to confirm to organizers if she will be part of a Spice Girls performance.
Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber was commissioned to compose a hymn for the occasion. “My hymn contains words slightly adapted from Psalm 98,” he told the Mail. “I composed it for the choir and organ of Westminster Abbey, the ceremonial brass and the orchestra. I hope my anthem reflects this joyous occasion.”
This week in royal history
Today, February 19th, is Prince Andrew’s 63rd birthday. He was born on this day in 1960 at Buckingham Palace. And what a birthday present – not – for him to look at the front pages today.
Unanswered questions
Will Harry and Meghan appear at the coronation or not? Who is playing the coronation concert? Will Charles really force Andrew out of Royal Lodge?
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