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Andrew Mountbatten Windsor has been urged to keep his seven dogs away from a lake near his Royal Lodge residence due to deadly blue algae. The former prince received an email informing him of the poisonous weeds in the lake in Windsor Great Park - where his brother King Charles is Head Ranger. The potentially lethal growth has been discovered in historic Obelisk Pond just a mile from Royal Lodge, the home from which Andrew was evicted this week. King Charles was informed that a late 'bloom' of the algae had taken over the royal lake and ordered warning signs to be put up all around it to keep dogs out the water. As head ranger he also agreed to bring in a team of experts to deal with the infestation that could be very harmful to young children who could come into contact with it. Prince William also received the warning. Vets have said that if dogs drink the water in Obelisk Pond they can suffer severe vomiting, liver damage and death and small children are also at risk. A Windsor Castle source said: 'Andrew inherited two of the Queen's corgis after she died in 2022 and has 5 Norfolk terriers and lives just a mile from the lake. 'He rarely walks his dogs now as his woes over the last few years have left him extremely demoralised but they are walked regularly by staff to Obelisk pond. 'Prince William is about to move into Forest Lodge in the Great Park and has a cocker spaniel called Orla who loves her walks and will also be a mile away. 'They have both received emails warning them of the blue-green algae in Obelisk Pond and the other major lakes in the Great Park are all now being urgently tested. 'Everyone living in Windsor Great Park and those with angling licences or who are members have been messaged that the killer disease is in that lake. 'Warning signs have gone up and anyone ignoring those signs and who let their dogs go in the lake or their children play in the water do so at great risk. 'The royals have always loved the Great Park as they can walk their dogs or ride their horses or as Prince Philip did drive his horse and carriage in relative privacy. 'Experts have been called in to tackle the deadly algae bacteria' he said. A warning on the Windsor Great Park website said: 'A late 'bloom' of blue-green algae has been detected on Obelisk Pond and it can be dangerous. 'Dogs are at risk from blue-green algae if the swim in it or drink it or if they get algae caught in their fur and ingest it while cleaning themselves later on. 'Please keep your dog out of Obelisk pond until further notice' it said. The Blue Cross animal welfare charity website which is linked to the Windsor Great Park warning said the algae is a dangerous type of cyanobacterium. It says it is highly toxic and lethal to animals exposed to it. The Blue Cross website said: 'Exposure to toxic blue-green algae is often fatal and it can cause long-term health problems in dogs that survive it'. Cyanobacteria grows during hot dry conditions where water flow is slow or stagnant and is dispersed and diluted during periods of heavy rainfall. The Crown Estate said it is continuing to monitor the quality of many other lakes across the Great Park in addition to the affected pond near royal homes. It comes after this King this week stripped his disgraced brother Andrew of his remaining titles and evicted him from his royal residence after weeks of pressure to act over his relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Demand had been growing on the palace to oust the prince from the Royal Lodge after he surrendered his use of the title Duke of York earlier this month over new revelations about his friendship with Epstein and renewed sexual abuse allegations by one of Epstein's victims, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, whose posthumous memoir hit bookstores last week. But the king went even further to punish him for serious lapses of judgment by removing the title of prince that he has held since birth as a child of a monarch, the late Queen Elizabeth II. Following the king's move, Andrew will have to vacate his Royal Lodge mansion near Windsor Castle. Andrew were 'deemed necessary notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him. 'Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.' It is almost unprecedented for a British prince or princess to be stripped of that title. It last happened in 1919, when Prince Ernest Augustus, who was a UK royal and also a prince of Hanover, had his British title removed for siding with Germany during World War I. Andrew faced a new round of public outrage after emails emerged earlier this month showing he had remained in contact with Epstein longer than he previously admitted. That news was followed by the publication of 'Nobody's Girl,' by Giuffre, who alleged she had sex with Andrew when she was 17. The book detailed three alleged sexual encounters with Andrew, who she said acted as if he believed 'having sex with me was his birthright.' Andrew, 65, has long denied Giuffre's claims, but stepped down from royal duties after a disastrous November 2019 BBC interview in which he attempted to rebut her allegations. Andrew paid millions in an out-of-court settlement in 2022 after Giuffre filed a civil suit against him in New York. While he didn't admit wrongdoing, he acknowledged Giuffre's suffering as a victim of sex trafficking. Although Charles was involved in discussions with Andrew before he announced he would relinquish his dukedom two weeks ago, the king had largely managed to steer clear of the scandal until this week. It’s the most dramatic royal departure since 1936, when King Edward VIII abdicated the throne so he could marry twice-divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson. The couple were given the titles Duke and Duchess of Windsor and lived the rest of their lives in exile outside Britain.
