Pop culture likes to tell us that it’s impossible for Royal siblings to get along, from Thor to The Lion King to House of the Dragon, but while it might seem like a hoary old cliche reality proves that sometimes fiction isn’t so different from fact. Just without the alien gods, dragons, and talking animals that sound like Darth Vader. We all know just how much Prince William and Prince Harry don’t see eye to eye these days, after all.
The bad blood between brotherly blue bloods is apparently hereditary, too, as the boys’ father, King Charles III, clearly has a strained relationship with his own little brother, going by the most recent shocking developments from the Windsor family. Prince Andrew has had more and more of his Royal rights stripped away ever since his very public downfall in 2019, and now it seems the monarch is ready to deliver the final humiliation — by kicking him out of his home.
King Charles nixes Prince Andrew’s security as he plans to boot brother from £30 million estate
King Charles has officially elected not to renew brother Prince Andrew’s 10-man strong security team, which could force the disgraced Duke of York to leave his long-term residence at Windsor’s Royal Lodge.
When he was removed from active Royal status in 2019, following the scandal surrounding his connections to Jeffrey Epstein and the sexual assault accusations against him, the state-sponsored security the Royals receive was denied to him, although private protection was provided at the behest of the crown. Now, Charles has decided to let go of the security detail based at the Royal Lodge, which seems to be the king’s latest gambit to urge his brother to vacate the premises, so that Prince William, Kate Middleton, and their children can move in.
The Royal Lodge — a 30-room, 98-acre mansion located in Windsor Great Park, Berkshire — has been Andrew’s home since the late Queen Elizabeth II gave her second-born son a 75-year lease on the property in 2003, with the rent fixed at just £250 a week. The king has been attempting to cajole Andrew out of the estate for some time, but the duke is known to be steadfast in his refusal to budge.
With his security detail previously costing the crown £3 million per year, it’s now up to Andrew and ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, who he lives with, to cough up the cash themselves once their current contract ends in November. If not, then the Yorks may have to accept Charles’ offer to move them into Frogmore Cottage, last occupied by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, which Andrew previously rejected as too much of a “demotion.”
What with William and Harry’s feud crossing oceans and Charles and Andrew playing power games, maybe Princess Catherine is right to do all she can to avoid the Royal sibling curse affecting her kids.