Prince Andrew is under increasing pressure to vacate the Royal Lodge at Windsor following revelations that he has not paid rent for over twenty years. Despite stepping back from his role as the Duke of York and relinquishing his royal titles, Andrew retains his status as a prince, being the son of Queen Elizabeth.

Sarah, Duchess of York, Andrew’s former wife who also resides in the expansive 30-bedroom lodge, will now solely use her birth name, Sarah Ferguson. Meanwhile, King Charles has been actively encouraging his brother to leave the Windsor estate, valued at approximately £30 million. This move is partly driven by the Prince of Wales’s reported interest in relocating to the mansion, which aligns with his position as the heir to the throne.

Efforts by both King Charles and Prince William to persuade Andrew to relocate to the smaller, five-bedroom Frogmore Cottage—previously home to Harry and Meghan—have met with resistance. Prince Andrew is reportedly reluctant to downsize to the modest residence.

Since 2003, taxpayers have been covering a substantial portion of the £260,000 annual rent for Andrew and Sarah to inhabit the Royal Lodge. This financial arrangement has further fueled calls for Andrew to step aside and allow for a change in occupancy at the historic property.

Charles and Prince William have been met with pushback from Andrew when urging the pair to downsize by moving to the more modest five-bedroom Frogmore Cottage, Harry and Meghan’s former residence. 

Taxpayers have been subsidising the £260,000-a-year rent for Andrew and Sarah to take residence at the mansion since 2003. 

The Daily Mail previously revealed exclusively that Andrew is not believed to have received any significant inheritance from the Queen or Queen Mother. 

The revelation raised questions about how he can afford to stay in and maintain the property when he receives no personal allowance from the King or public funding. 

He would also have to pay for his own security at the lodge, which is estimated to be costing Charles more than £3million a year, after losing his official police bodyguard. 

It has been widely assumed that the prince had been dipping into personal investments and family bequests to afford the property.

Royal Lodge was leased to Andrew following the death of the Queen Mother, who called the mansion home. 

He officially took over the property the following year, signing a 75-year lease in exchange for a £1million one-off upfront payment, according to an unredacted copy of his lease that emerged last night. 

Andrew then spent £7.5million on refurbishments and has paid only ‘one peppercorn (if demanded)’ of rent a year since taking on the mansion. 

This is because Andrew is deemed to have paid the rent up-front through the work he funded to bring the palatial property up to scratch. 

The lease also stipulated that he is required to maintain the property and keep it in a good state of repair.

Sources at Windsor say the house is a virtual ‘money pit’ and there have long been claims Andrew has been struggling with its upkeep. 

However, aerial images obtained today by Sky News show that the estate appears to be in pristine condition. 

The photographs reveal expanses of freshly-mowed grass, a flawless white façade and a lush garden of towering trees. 

In October 2024, it was reported that Charles wanted Andrew to leave the mansion, but he was granted ‘a stay of execution’ after he did a deal with the King to carry out the repair works on the 19th-century property.  

The state of the mansion’s exterior was later exposed, with pictures which are said to show that it is still in need of some work.

Charles has continuously tried to persuade his younger brother to downsize and move out of the grade II-listed mansion in recent years.  

The King previously said that if his brother moved to a smaller property on the estate, he would reinstate his personal allowance and help fund his security.

But after Andrew point-blank refused, it is not known whether the offer is still even on the table. 

In June 2024, a friend of Charles revealed that the King threatened to ‘sever all ties’ with his brother if he continued to refuse to leave the lodge. 

The anonymous friend told The Times that the King may be forced to ‘reassess the whole package’ of support he provides to his brother.

‘Unfortunately, if Andrew refuses to leave within a reasonable time frame, then the King may be forced to reassess the whole package of support he provides and the duke would be required to fund the lion’s share of his security, accommodation and lifestyle costs all on his own – which, given the sums involved, is highly unlikely to be possible in the long term,’ he said. 

‘Everyone is mindful of his well-being, and has his best interests at heart, but there are limits of patience and tolerance.’

Charles believes many of Andrew’s problems – particularly those that saw him drawn to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and other shady characters – stem from chasing a lifestyle he simply cannot afford.

But Andrew has stubbornly insisted that he has a cast-iron lease on the house, and as long as he pays the rent, the King has no legal right to throw him out.

Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick has said it is disgusting that the public is footing the bill for the controversial couple’s annual rent, adding that Brits are ‘sick of Prince Andrew’. 

‘I don’t think the taxpayer should in any way be footing the bill for him to live in luxury homes ever again. He shouldn’t have any taxpayer subsidies going forward,’ he said.

‘It’s about time Prince Andrew took himself off to live in private and make his own way in life. He has disgraced himself; he has embarrassed the Royal Family time and again.

‘The King deserves great respect and admiration for the way he has handled this. He is trying to do his absolute best to ensure Prince Andrew goes off, leads a quiet life and doesn’t embarrass himself, the royal family or our country ever again’.

This is the full timeline of the King Charles and Prince Andrew family feud over Royal Lodge. 

What is Royal Lodge?

Royal Lodge sits in the heart of Windsor Park, three miles south of Windsor Castle and is part of the Crown Estate.

The site has had homes on it since the 17th century, but the present structure dates from the 19th century. It has 30 rooms, including seven bedrooms across two floors. 

The Grade-II listed building has a large formal drawing room and a saloon as well as the original conservatory. 

It was previously the residence of the Queen Mother from 1952 until her death in 2002.

The popular residence has been the location for dozens of family events and photographs over the royal generations. 

2003: Andrew signs the lease for Royal Lodge

Prince Andrew signed a 75-year lease for Royal Lodge from the Crown Estate in 2003 for a £1million one-off payment.

He spent £7.5 million refurbishing the property, including the addition of an indoor swimming pool. 

It is thought the Crown Estate could even end up owing Andrew money if the King were to evict him due to the money he has spent on the renovations over the years.

The property included Royal Lodge, a gardener’s cottage, the chapel lodge, six lodge cottages and accommodation for security, as well as 100 acres of land. 

As part of the deal, the prince would only have to pay £250 a week in rent, but he would have to maintain the property, which is understood to cost around £400,000 a year.

The least states that he has a responsibility to ‘repair, renew, uphold, clean and keep in repair and where necessary rebuild’ the home.

This includes repainting its external walls every five years with ‘two coats of paint’ from 2008 and redecorating inside every seven years from 2010. 

It has no provision for any rent review over the life of the 75-year lease agreement, but it states the prince may not financially benefit from any increase in the value of the property as the freehold belongs to the Crown Estate.

2004: Andrew moves in to Royal Lodge

Andrew first moved into the large mansion in 2004, with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson joining him in 2008.

Both of their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, held their wedding receptions at the house. 

They continue to have their own bedrooms at Royal Lodge and often stay at weekends, even though both daughters have homes in London. 

After the first lockdown, Sarah, Duchess of York, shared a series of YouTube videos from the house, showing off the drinks cabinet and dressing table with a large vanity mirror. 

November 2019: Andrew is sacked from royal duties

In November 2019, the Queen ‘sacked’ Prince Andrew from royal duties to contain the fall-out from the duke’s disastrous Newsnight interview about his years of friendship with the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Charles is said to have stepped in and made it clear that his younger brother should be stripped of all royal duties.

Since the sacking, the flagpole on the roof of Royal Lodge, which used to fly the personal Royal Standard of the Duke of York when in residence, was removed.

The fallout of the decision has meant Andrew has not received public funds for years and has lived on handouts from the Queen, personal investments, bequests from family members and his modest naval pension.

He continued to have a royal allowance of £249,000 a year.

The loss of his royal duties made Andrew’s ability to pay for the maintenance of Royal Lodge far more difficult. 

March 2022: Andrew pays £12million to Virginia Giuffre

In March 2022, Andrew paid a reported £12million settlement to Virginia Giuffre, halting a civil trial in the US, after she said he sexually assaulted her when she was 17. He strongly denies the claims. 

October 2023: Andrew granted ‘a stay of execution’

In October 2023, Andrew was granted ‘a stay of execution’, after he did a deal with the King to carry out the repair works on the Grade II-listed property. 

The Mirror reported that Andrew had been granted it after Charles accepted his brother should be given time to prove he can pay for the mansion’s upkeep. 

But a family friend told the Mail at the time: ‘It’s all a bit cloud cuckoo-land, I’m afraid. No one, not least His Majesty, believes there is any realistic, long-term chance of the Duke of York being able to keep the roof at Royal Lodge over his head.

‘It’s a massive property and estate that requires a huge amount of upkeep.’

January 2024: Financial worries over Royal Lodge mount

It was reported that Andrew may have his royal allowance of £249,000 cut, making it difficult for the duke to fulfill his promises.

He reportedly told his friends that such a drastic change to his finances would mean he would not be able to cover the costs of Royal Lodge.

But despite his money worries, sources close to the duke said at the time: ‘Andrew is going nowhere. He has a cast-iron lease.’

Sources close to the King acknowledged his brother has a legally binding lease but said he is determined not to bail him out over the mansion’s high upkeep costs. 

May 5, 2024: Pictures show the dilapidated state of Royal Lodge

In early May, pictures showing the dilapidated state of Royal Lodge were published.

The photos showed the mansion’s exterior had fallen into disrepair due to the duke’s apparent lack of funds to maintain it. 

Part of the terms of the lease was that Andrew would carry out repair works, but these do not appear to be happening. 

May 30, 2024: Charles ‘threatens to sever all ties with Andrew’ over Royal Lodge

In late May, the row escalated when a friend of the King said that if Andrew refuses to leave within a reasonable time frame, then the King may be forced to ‘reassess the whole package’ of support he provides to his brother.

This would mean the duke would have to pay for his own private security, accommodation and lifestyle costs.

Due to the expenses involved, Andrew’s ability to afford life on his own two feet is seen as highly unlikely to be possible in the long term.

A friend of the King told The Times: ‘Everyone is mindful of his well-being, and has his best interests at heart, but there are limits of patience and tolerance.

‘As things stand, life at Royal Lodge is set to become increasingly cold and uncomfortable for the duke.’ 

What happens next?

King Charles hopes Andrew will downsize to live at Frogmore Cottage which would make him a significant saving. 

Friends of the King said he would continue to pay for mobile security, but would not have to provide static security for the building. The security bill at Royal Lodge alone is estimated to cost Charles more than £3million a year.

Those with knowledge of Frogmore Cottage – which used to house the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – said it is in good condition thanks to the work carried out by Harry and Meghan before their move to the US.

The renovation included structural work, rewiring and flooring, making the property a five-bedroom home upon completion.

Princess Eugenie is currently living in the comfortable home with her husband and two children. She gave birth to her second son in 2022, and the arrangement allows her to be close to her parents and ensure Frogmore remains occupied. 

The possible alternative has been raised in the past, but Andrew reportedly saw this as a ‘demotion’ too far.