Prince Andrew has named his terms after finally agreeing to give up the sprawling Royal Lodge amid renewed public pressure over his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The 65-year-old announced he would give up the use of his “Duke of York” title and other honours earlier this month but there have been growing calls for his eviction from the 30-room royal home within Windsor Great Park, where he’s lived since 2004.
His ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, moved in with him there in 2008.
A friend of the pair told The Sun that after refusing to budge for years, Andrew has finally seen “the writing on the wall”, but is demanding two homes in return for his Royal Lodge exit.
The publication reports that he wants Adelaide Cottage, the Windsor home that the Prince and Princess of Wales will be vacating from next month, and also the nearby Frogmore Cottage, Prince Harry and Meghan’s one-time UK residence.
“No one is really sure how it’s going to go down at the Palace yet,” the insider told The Sun.
“Andy is willing to leave, but these are his demands.
“He is realistic and knows the writing is on the wall and that his time at Royal Lodge is up.
“If he must go then he has asked for Frogmore Cottage.
“Incredibly Sarah has said she wants Adelaide Cottage,” the source said.
“Sarah and Andy have lived together at Royal Lodge since 2008 despite being divorced and seen like they are still a married couple.
“It’s incredible that they are willing to go their own separate ways.
“But it indicates that they have been under immense strain this year and need a break from one another. It’s a fresh start for both.
“Frogmore Cottage is too small for both and Adelaide Cottage is around the corner so they will see each other whenever they want.”
It’s long been reported that the King has been trying to persuade Andrew, who stepped down from official royal duties following his disastrous BBC Newsnight interview, to leave Royal Lodge in favour of a more modest home.
Last year, it even emerged that Charles had cut off his personal annual allowance in what was seen as an attempt to squeeze him out.
Andrew has not paid rent on the property for two decades, and has a “cast-iron” lease that could technically see him stay there until 2078.
Last week,UK newspaper The Times published a copy of the leasehold agreement for the sprawling home, which showed that the disgraced prince forked out £1 million ($2.06 million) for the lease and approximately £7.5 million (A$15.4 million) for refurbishments in 2005 – but since 2003, has paid “one peppercorn (if demanded)” in rent.
According to the publication, the terms of the lease also include a clause which means that the Crown Estate – which manages the royal properties – would need to pay Andrew around a million dollars if he has to give up the lease, and he’d also receive a “compensatory sum” of £185,865 (A$383,286) annually until 2028.
The scandal surrounding Andrew reintensified this month as a result of a leaked email from Andrew to Epstein, weeks after the date he’d declared they’d cut off all contact with each other.
The new leaked email also coincided with the release Ms Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, Nobody’s Girl, in which she detailed her alleged sexual encounters with Andrew, one of which she claimed happened when she was just 17 years old. Andrew has vehemently denied all wrongdoing.
As public pressure intensified earlier this month, the King’s brother released a bombshell statement announcing he was giving up the use of his title in order to no longer “distract” from the important work of the monarchy.
The Metropolitan Police has also confirmed it is actively looking into claims that Andrew attempted to use the organisation to covertly look into his sex abuse accuser Ms Giuffre for a smear campaign.
It was alleged by the Mail on Sunday newspaper that he somehow accessed her private social security number and date of birth, passing them on to his taxpayer-funded bodyguard.
According to the publication, he then sent an email to the late Queen’s deputy press secretary, Ed Perkins, outlining what he’d done – just hours before the infamous picture of he and Ms Giuffre (then Roberts) was published.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.news.com.au ’
