Prince Andrew Refuses to Leave £30M Estate Amid Fears of Permanent Eviction

Prince Andrew is reportedly refusing to leave his £30 million estate, Royal Lodge, amid fears that he won’t be allowed back in. This decision follows the fallout from his humiliating 2019 interview with Newsnight, recently dramatized in Netflix’s hit series, Scoop.

Scoop, starring Gillian Anderson, Billie Piper, and Rufus Sewell, explores how the team managed to secure the interview with the Duke of York about his association with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. In a 45-minute probing interview with Emily Maitlis, Andrew faced detailed questions about allegations of sexual assault, which he has consistently denied.

Following the interview, Andrew’s reputation was severely damaged, leading him to step down from royal duties. His long-term home, Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, has since come under scrutiny. Allegedly, King Charles wants his younger brother to move out of the 30-room mansion and into a more modest residence. Andrew, who signed a 75-year lease for Royal Lodge in 2003, lives there with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.

Early last year, it was reported that King Charles was keen for Andrew to move out of Royal Lodge and had even offered him Frogmore Cottage, the recently renovated former UK home of Meghan and Harry. The monarch’s wish for Andrew to downsize came as he reportedly cut Andrew’s £250,000 annual allowance, previously provided by the late Queen Elizabeth. Without this allowance, Andrew is allegedly unable to afford the £2 million repair costs needed for the 98-acre estate.

The Queen Mother was the last occupant of Royal Lodge, and after her death, Andrew took on the Grade II listed property, which was built in the 1600s. It is believed that Prince William and Princess Kate are interested in the property, as they currently reside in the much smaller Adelaide Cottage on the Windsor Estate.

However, Andrew is reportedly “refusing to budge.” A source said, “As far as he [Andrew] is concerned, he isn’t moving. He cannot be any clearer. He’s not going to leave and move into another property. He has a lease, he’s spent millions on doing the place up, and doesn’t want to move. Whoever is behind this would have to drag him out, and that clearly isn’t going to happen.”

Andrew is said to have paid a mere £250 a week for the property and insists that since his lease is with the royal estate and not with King Charles, he will not break it. Over the two decades he has lived there, he has reportedly spent over £7 million on upkeep and repairs and has made it clear to the King that he intends to stay.

Even when urgent roof repairs were needed, Andrew was hesitant to leave the property, fearing he wouldn’t be allowed back in. A source told MailOnline, “It’s become farcical. Andrew has roof repairs scheduled later this summer which will take several months to complete, and he has been advised that staying in the house during those renovations could prove problematic. But he is reluctant to leave.”