King Charles is said to have asked the Keeper of the Privy Purse to sever Prince Andrew’s annual personal allowance worth £1million, as a source says he’s “no longer a financial burden”
The King has financially cut off brother Prince Andrew after months of urging by advisors, causing their relationship to dip to a new low.
The royal pair have been at loggerheads for months as the monarch wanted his younger brother to leave 30-room Royal Lodge home in Windsor , after previously asking him to move into Frogmore Cottage. The monarch is ultimately responsible for all of the royal household’s finances and it was previously reported he could soon struggle to meet the extortionate annual upkeep costs of his brother’s Grade II-listed property.
After months of infighting behind the scenes, the King has now made a decisive move, according to a new book. The Keeper of the Privy Purse has now been ordered to sever the disgraced Duke of York’s annual personal allowance, said to be worth £1million a year. Andrew will also not have his private security detail paid for.
A source said “The duke is no longer a financial burden on the King,” according to a new biography by royal write Robert Hardman.
Earlier this year it was reported Charles reportedly warned Andrew of serious consequences if he failed to leave Royal Lodge. The 64-year-old’s persistent refusal to take up the new property after previous requests is reported to have annoyed Charles.
A royal source told the Times in the summer: “The King’s kindness is not without limit and there is a very good option for Andrew to move into Frogmore Cottage, recently vacated by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, which also has the benefit of being within the Windsor Castle security cordon hence reducing the need for alternative round-the-clock security for Royal Lodge.”
Royal Lodge, once home to the Queen Mother, is a 19th-century Grade II-listed property with a pool and 90 acres of land. Andrew signed a 75-year lease for the house back in 2003 and lives there with his ex-wife Fergie, but reports began to circulate in early 2023 that Charles was keen for his brother to move out and move into Frogmore Cottage, which has been recently renovated.
One acquaintance of the Duke of York told the newspaper that he is likely to “dig in” if the stand-off continues, and that he had already enjoyed a “stay of execution” in light of Sarah Ferguson and the King’s own recent illnesses.
Buckingham Palace and Prince Andrew have been approached for comment by the Mirror.
The move comes after the king and queen returned from a successful tour of Australia. The royals wrote on X: “As our visits to Australia and Samoa come to a close, my wife and I would like to thank both nations for the warmest of welcomes and for the countless fond memories we will carry in our hearts for many years to come.
“Even when we are far apart in distance, the many close connections that unite us across the globe and through our Commonwealth family have been renewed, and will remain as profound as they are enduring.” (Mirror)