Copyright dailymail
The King could pay Prince Andrew to leave Royal Lodge, from which he cannot be legally evicted, out of his own pocket. Following a renewed public outcry over his living arrangements, the disgraced ex-Duke of York is in talks about quitting his 30-room Grade II listed mansion on the Windsor Estate. Buckingham Palace is said to be 'trying to crank up the pressure' on the prince to voluntarily move out. And sources have suggested that it is a case of 'when, not if' Andrew goes, having finally accepted the inevitable, despite still having 50 years to run on his lease. But Andrew has a 'cast iron' agreement for Royal Lodge, one that means he would actually need to be reimbursed to the tune of up to £500,000 by the Crown Estate, who manage the property, if he leaves. The King's brother acquired the lease from the Crown Estate in 2003 and paid £1million for the 75-year tenancy plus £7.5million for repairs and refurbishments, which was deemed the equivalent of paying for his lease 'upfront'. Under the agreement, if he leaves before next June, he will be due a refund of £557,000, with that figure decreasing until 2028, when he will be owed nothing. That is likely to be a sticking point in negotiations, with experts suggesting to the Daily Mail that the King may offer to either reimburse his brother personally, or find a way to pay back the Crown Estate, which generates revenue that goes to the Treasury to bolster public spending. Buckingham Palace would undoubtedly be as reluctant as Andrew to have the issue of royal finances pored over by Parliament should he get a payout from the public purse. The King has been keen for some time for Andrew to downsize and move out, believing that the 'ruinous' running costs of the mansion are in part responsible for his long-term associations with questionable business characters, including convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. While acknowledging that talks may be ongoing, sources have suggested that claims an agreement is imminent may be a little premature just yet. However, there is no doubt that both parties would like clarity as soon as possible given the ongoing public pressure. The prince's living arrangements have been dissected this week after reports that he had effectively not paid rent for 22 years as part of a 'peppercorn deal'. There will also be questions over where he – and potentially his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, with whom he still lives – will go. The King has already offered Andrew Harry and Meghan's old home, Frogmore Cottage, which he has previously turned down. There has also been wild speculation that he could be 'banished' to Scotland or Norfolk to live in one of the King's private properties there, but few have given these any credence. Another possibility – also more unlikely – would be Adelaide Cottage, recently vacated by the Prince and Princess of Wales. Andrew is known to be keen to stay in or around Windsor if possible, or closer to London where his daughters have homes. He is also understood to be keen to ensure that Princess Beatrice and Eugenie, who have homes at St James' Palace and Kensington Palace respectively, would have their futures protected. The King is known to be fond of his nieces and is of the same mind. Buckingham Palace refused to comment last night and representatives for Andrew could not be contacted. But it is likely, given mounting parliamentary pressure for Andrew to explain himself, that both parties would be keen for a swift resolution. Andrew was last week forced to give up all of his royal titles following devastating revelations in The Mail on Sunday that he stayed in contact with sexual predator Epstein longer than he had admitted to. Last week the King moved to abate the damage by forcing his brother to drop his Duke of York title and other honours. The titles have been placed into abeyance but legally still exist. Andrew has always denied the allegations. And yesterday his business dealings, which have included working with alleged Chinese spies, were brought back into question. It emerged that Andrew was paid tens of thousands of pounds by a businessman linked to a firm accused of ripping off pension savers. He accepted £60,500 from a company owned by caravan park tycoon Adrian Gleave. Mr Gleave, 55, recently quit as director of a City stockbroker called SVS Securities, which was shut down by the financial regulator in 2019 over pension mis-selling allegations, the BBC reported. Neither party would comment last night on the claims, which emerged in High Court papers. Staff told not to give Andrew any horses to ride By Rebecca English, Royal Editor He may have hoped to put the travails of the last week behind him with a refreshing ride in the Windsor countryside. But Prince Andrew has even been 'quietly encouraged' not to be seen in or around the King's Berkshire estate, the Daily Mail understands. One of the beleaguered royal's few remaining hobbies, say sources, is to go out hacking on a horse from the Royal Mews three to four times a week. But insiders have revealed that the prince hasn't been down to the stables for three weeks – and staff have been told not to take any horses up to him at Royal Lodge. Unbelievably, groomsmen were often ordered to drive the late Queen's distinctive liveried 21-tonne horsebox to his Royal Lodge home, a 15 minute, six-and-a-half-mile drive away, on a regular basis. They did it when the then-Duke of York decided he wanted to ride privately around the mansion's 98-acre grounds, mostly to avoid the waiting photographers as another scandal swirled. Local sources now believe that Andrew, 65, has been told to 'keep his head down' amid the continuing furore over his links to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and occupancy of his 30-room mansion on the King's Windsor Great Park estate. Indeed the last time he was seen on horseback was on September 27, shortly before the latest trouble began to brew. 'People round here believe the King just doesn't want him seen round at the castle, particularly out riding on one of his horses. It's not a good look, very entitled,' said one source. According to insiders, Andrew's 'world' has shrunk in recent years and he spends much of his time holed up at Royal Lodge. He is said to spend his days playing video games, watching war films and playing golf on a giant television screen. However three to four times a week – 'as regular as clockwork,' a source told – he would head down to the Royal Mews, where the late Queen and now the King's horses are stabled. He would go out riding for around an hour, always accompanied by a royal groom, who are funded privately by the monarch. Although the prince comes from a family of notable equestrians – his sister, Princess Anne was a professional eventer who even competed in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Canada – Andrew was never a natural when it came to the sport. In 2018, however, he began having lessons to prepare him for riding in public for Trooping the Colour after being appointed Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, a position he has since been forced to relinquish. He has continued to ride out several times a week privately, seemingly enjoying the exercise and fresh air. A source explained that 'Andrew has for years now gone out riding at Windsor three or four times a week. Regular as clockwork'. 'When he was feeling a bit of heat on him or did not want to be spotted by the photographers who hang around locally he would get the horses shipped up to him,' they added. 'The staff would have to bring them up in the late Queen's very distinctive dark maroon horsebox. 'It's an Oakley, the Rolls-Royce of horseboxes. There would always be two horses, one for him and another for the groom. 'He could then ride around the grounds at Royal Lodge without being seen. But he hasn't been down at the stables since the whole scandal began. 'Staff have also apparently been told not to take the horses up to him anymore. 'It seems like the King really doesn't want him round at the castle. Andrew must be bored senseless as it's about the only time he does go out. 'It makes you wonder if they are going to ban him from this too.' Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
