King Charles Removes 'Treasures' From Prince Andrew’s Home as the Monarch Fights to Evict His Brother
King Charles is continuing to strip Prince Andrew of his lavish lifestyle, as the monarch struggles to remove his brother from the Royal Lodge.
“The Royal Collection, which owns quite a lot of the treasures inside there, may say, ‘Well, we can’t be confident that this place is safe anymore,’ and they’ll start taking the paintings and some of the furniture away,” biographer Robert Hardman said on the “Palace Confidential” podcast.
“The king is very conscious that [Royal Lodge] is not entirely in his gift,” he noted. “It’s a Crown Estate property and the Crown Estate ultimately answers to the government.”
Andrew resigned from duties in 2020, and the Duke of York lost his HRH status in 2022. Due to Andrew no longer working for the royal family, there has been a push for the disgraced figure to live a life independent of the royal family and their resources.
“That’s a house that has always belonged to someone who performs public duties on behalf of the nation. It always was when George VI lived there, when Queen Mother lived there, and Prince Andrew to begin with,” Hardman continued.
“He was performing public duties and therefore there was an obligation by the state to look after that property, to make sure it was secure. Now [Andrew] has got no public life, no prospect of a public life, and I think that does bring into question what he’s still doing in a place that was a home for many years of a sovereign.”
- Prince Andrew Hires 'Cheap Security Firm' After Refusing to Move Out of the Royal Lodge
- Prince Andrew Is 'Devoted' to the Royal Lodge Despite King Charles Trying to Evict Him: 'He’s Got Nothing Else'
- King Charles and Prince Andrew's Battle Over Royal Lodge to Cause a 'Radical Shake-Up' at Buckingham Palace
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OK! previously reported an insider claimed Andrew hired his own personnel after Charles decided to stop paying for his protection team.
"He has his security but at a cheaper rate and he is managing to finance it himself," a source told an outlet. "He has dug his heels in and is refusing to move so found a way to finance his security."
"How sustainable in the long term, then who knows how long he can do it for?" they asked.
Royal experts speculated Charles hoped Andrew would find a new address by his 76th birthday on November 14.
"For his birthday, the king … will celebrate with family and no doubt give thanks and cheers for being alive," British broadcaster Helena Chard told an outlet when discussing the monarch's big day. "Despite his cancer treatment, he is coping with a rigorous work schedule."
"The Royal Lodge problem still rumbles on, although King Charles has made a decisive move and has financially cut him off. … Prince Andrew is no longer a working royal and is viewed as the idle, entitled, privileged duke in the court of public opinion," Chard added.
Andrew lost his royal salary when he stopped working for The Crown, but Chard predicted his inner circle is helping him maintain his royal residence.
"King Charles recognizes that Andrew is fragile but also acknowledges that he has inflicted a lot of upset on himself by making appalling judgments, tragic interviews and more," Chard explained. "Prince Andrew can now maintain his lease and pay for his Windsor home as he has friends in high places who will stump up the cash needed."