ROYALSPrince Andrew Is Struggling to 'Recognize the Reality' of His Eviction From the Royal Lodge
Prince Andrew was asked to vacate the Royal Lodge in 2023.
Prince Andrew is struggling to accept his new normal as King Charles continues to pressure the Duke of York to vacate the Royal Lodge.
In 2023, Andrew and Prince Harry were told to vacate their royal residences, but the Duke of York has yet to find a new address.
Prince Andrew still resides at the Royal Lodge.
“[Andrew] is taking longer than desirable to recognize the reality of the situation, even though [relocating] is clearly the most sensible course of action,” a source told an outlet.
“It can be done tidily or untidily. It can be done with grace and dignity or it can be forced upon him. It’s all rather sad,” a separate source continued.
Prince Andrew was stripped of his HRH status in 2022.
In 2022, Andrew was stripped of his HRH status two years after resigning from his role due to assault allegations. Since leaving his position, Andrew lost his royal salary, meaning it's unclear if he will be able to maintain his mansion without an income.
“But as things stand, life at Royal Lodge is set to become increasingly cold and uncomfortable for the duke," a source noted. "The only question now is when he will realize that he has become a prisoner of his own pride.”
Prince Andrew was accused of having ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
OK! previously reported royal biographer Hugo Vickers claimed Andrew is fearful that leaving his home would be confessing to the accusations against him.
"I think we must all accept that he is not wanted for any public duties," Vickers told an outlet. "If you were running a charity you wouldn't be asking Prince Andrew to come and be your guest of honor. So nobody wants him in a public way."
"So there he is living at Royal Lodge, playing golf, seeing his children and grandchildren and riding in the park and it is expensive," Vickers continued. "The ideal situation would of course be that Andrew would volunteer to down-size and move somewhere else."
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Prince Andrew lost his royal salary when he was stripped of his HRH status.
Virginia Giuffre sued Andrew for emotional distress and abuse, and her lawsuit brought additional attention to the royal's ties to convicted trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
"What I think he feels is that if he moves out of Royal Lodge it's somehow publicly accepting guilt for which he has not been proved," Vickers noted. "Nevertheless it's an expensive lifestyle."
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Meghan Markle's ex-friend Lizzy Cundy alluded to Andrew letting his property fall apart.
“He is letting this place — it has 30-odd bedrooms, and he is letting it go to ruin," Cundy told GB News. “The conditions attached to the lease are that you have to paint it every five years and so on, he hasn’t done that."
“Even if there is a lease you have, he is not reaching the requirements. Royal Lodge is going to rot," Cundy explained. “If you look from the outside, it’s all chipped. Paint from the bricks is falling off and it costs £400,000 for the year for the upkeep."
Sources spoke to The Times.
