Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is reportedly insisting on a “six or seven bedroom house”, complete with a full roster of staff, in exchange for finally vacating Royal Lodge.
The 65-year-old former prince, who was served an eviction notice by his older brother King Charles III in late October, is said to be laying out a growing list of requirements as negotiations over his future living arrangements continue.
Royal Lodge, the sprawling home where Andrew lived with his ex-wife Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson rent-free for more than two decades, was stripped from him along with his title and honours after his links to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein came to light.
While both Andrew and Ferguson initially resisted leaving the Windsor estate, the disgraced royal is now said to be pushing for a substantial replacement property on the King’s Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, complete with a cook, gardener, housekeeper, driver and police protection.
A friend of Andrew told The Daily Beast’s Tom Sykes that the ex-Prince had “done exactly what has been asked of him” and just wanted to be “left alone”.
“He is giving up the lease on one of England’s finest houses and expects to be treated fairly,” the friend said.
A former courtier was blunter, telling the outlet: “Knowing Andrew, this was always going to be about money. Andrew is essentially being bought out of the lease, so he will haggle over every last detail of the deal.”
Background notes previously distributed to the UK “Royal Rota” press pool – and seen by Sykes’ Substack, The Royalist – confirmed that Andrew’s Royal Lodge lease “has legal force” and the King had to “respect” its terms.
Charles, 77, has long wanted the Yorks out of 31-room mansion amid concerns that neither Andrew nor Fergie were keeping up with essential maintenance, with the property slipping into disrepair.
In August 2024, the King removed Andrew’s privately funded guards from the estate, forcing him to cover the costs himself.
Andrew and Ferguson had relied heavily on their “iron-clad” lease, originally granted by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2003, to justify staying put for as long as possible.
Earlier reports suggested the former couple only agreed to leave Royal Lodge if they were given two replacement homes.
According to The Sun, Andrew had his eye on Frogmore Cottage, the former UK residence of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, while Ferguson was hoping for Adelaide Cottage, previously home to the Prince and Princess of Wales.
As for Ferguson, her next move remains unclear, with rumours swirling she could relocate to a renovated “cattle shed” on her elder daughter Princess Beatrice’s Cotswolds estate.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.skynews.com.au ’
