A battle royale appears to be on the cards after Prince Andrew vowed to resist any attempt to kick him out of the Royal Lodge.
Sources close to the beleaguered Duke of York were reported to have said yesterday: “Andrew isn't going anywhere.” He has a cast-iron lease.'
This comes after the Chron revealed last week that the royal intends to evict his brother from the villa he lives in at the Windsor estate and move him to a more modest property this year.
According to sources, His Majesty has made it clear that he is not prepared to pay indefinitely for his brother to be under 24-hour security at the late Queen Mother's former home, which has 10 bedrooms and 30 rooms. The security bill alone is estimated to cost Charles more than £3 million a year.
The King has made it clear that there is now no turning back as a working royal for his brother, who was stripped of his royal duties and use of his HRH title by the late Queen (file photo, 2012)
The Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, home of the Duke of York
Following the revelation of the “Epstein Papers” last week, the stalemate has become even more tense.
Calls to remove all of his titles are increasing
Following the publication of new papers linked to Jeffrey Epstein, pressure is mounting for Prince Andrew to be stripped of all his remaining titles and rank in the Royal Navy.
In 2022 he lost a number of his titles and patronages, but remains Duke of York, Earl of Inverness and Baron of Killyleagh, which Elizabeth II gave him as a wedding gift in 1986.
But campaigners in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland now say the duke should be denied any connection to their hometowns after his relationship with the pedophile financier was brought back into the spotlight.
Last night York Labor MP Rachael Maskell said: “I, like around 80 per cent of York residents according to a poll, want him to lose all connection with our city.”
“It won’t work without changes to the law. “Last year I introduced a bill for private MPs, but the government must act.”
A petition by Scottish activist Xander Elliards to strip Andrew of his connection to Inverness has reached almost 11,000 signatures. Northern Ireland Assembly member and former Killyleagh councilor Patrick Brown also supported the demands.
Andrew, 63, a former Royal Navy helicopter pilot, denies all allegations against him.
These court documents released in the US relate to a 2015 civil defamation lawsuit.
The lawsuit was filed by Virginia Roberts, the most high-profile victim of billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, against his girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who was jailed for her role in his crimes.
Although many of the reported allegations were not new, the papers shed light on the Duke's uncomfortable closeness to Epstein. It was alleged that Andrew spent “weeks” at a time with the perpetrator and received “daily” massages from his predominantly female staff.
Ms Roberts, now known by her married name Guiffre, has previously claimed she was trafficked to the UK by Epstein when she was 17 and forced to have sex with Andrew. She also says she slept with royalty at Epstein's homes in New York and the Caribbean, where an “underage orgy” took place.
There was no comment from the prince, who is holed up with his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, at his home in Windsor, where he was visited by their daughter Princess Beatrice. But he has previously strongly denied all allegations made against him and says he does not even remember meeting Ms Roberts.
In 2022, he settled a multi-million pound lawsuit against him for sexual assault by her without admitting liability.
The uproar has also raised renewed questions about Andrew's future. The King has made it clear that there is now no turning back as a working member of the royal family for his brother, who was relieved of his royal duties and use of his title as Royal Highness by the late Queen.
But he is still able to privately attend family events such as the Christmas service at Sandringham.
It is understood that nothing will change. A source told the Mail: 'His Majesty has no ill will towards his brother.' But his attitude has not softened either.'
Charles is convinced his brother needs to “downsize” as he has no visible income and a list of costly repairs at Royal Lodge, where Andrew has had a long-term lease since 2003.
The King offered the Duke other properties, notably the five-bedroom Frogmore Cottage, where Harry and Meghan once lived. But Andrew sees this as too much of a “downgrade”.
Prince Andrew, Duke of York attends the Christmas morning service at Sandringham Church in Sandringham, Norfolk, on December 25, 2023
An informed source told the Mail yesterday that the king recognizes his brother has a legally binding tenancy agreement but is determined not to pay him for the mansion's high maintenance costs.
This comes after The Mail On Sunday revealed yesterday that Maxwell had been ordered by a US court to search her emails for Andrew's name and words such as “sex toy” and “erotic”.
Jeffrey Epstein Virginia Roberts Giuffre