The Duke of York, known as the late Queen Elizabeth II's favorite son, stepped back from royal duties in 2019
Queen Elizabeth ‘remained incredibly close’ to Prince Andrew ‘right up until her death,’ royal author claims
Katie Nicholl, Vanity Fair's royal correspondent and author of The New Royals, spoke to Fox News Digital about the late monarch's close relationship with the Duke of York during the months leading up to her death.
Prince Andrew is reportedly facing eviction from his brother, King Charles III, after neglecting to pay the annual $503,000 upkeep of his $37 million Royal Lodge mansion.
The claim was made by Us Weekly, which alleged that the Duke of York is unable to keep up with the expenses to maintain the sprawling 19th-century property, which the monarch’s estate owns. A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
British royal expert Ian Pelham Turner alleged to Fox News Digital that the king, 75, is struggling to hand out an eviction notice to his disgraced sibling.
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Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, drives to Windsor Castle to go out for a morning ride. (Image Direct)
"Prince Andrew is fighting very hard to remain a senior royal," Pelham Turner alleged. "The problem is his home is in total disrepair.… I believe Charles feels that spending money on Andrew would not go down well. On the other hand, it was allegedly said by the queen on her deathbed to Charles to look after Andrew, who was always thought to be her favorite son."
The former Prince Charles became king upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. (Chris Jackson/WPA Pool/Getty Images)
"King Charles is adamant that such a large house, especially if it needs a significant amount of money spent on it, he can only do that for William and [his] children," Pelham Turner added.
According to the outlet, the property is faced with dampness issues, as well as "wear and tear" that is ravaging the building. It noted that "cracks are becoming worse on the brickwork," and there is peeling paint, along with plaster falling off.
According to reports, King Charles III (right) wants to evict his younger brother Prince Andrew (left) from the lavish Royal Lodge mansion. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
The outlet shared that the king had allegedly demanded the 64-year-old to vacate the 90-acre home and instead move to the smaller Frogmore Cottage, the former UK home of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals in 2020. They moved to California. (Chris Jackson)
A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex previously confirmed the couple had been asked to vacate that property. It was their main residence before they gave up royal duties and moved to California in 2020.
However, Andrew allegedly thought the move would be too much of a downgrade.
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Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, England. It was once the home of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. (GOR/Getty Images)
The prince currently resides in Royal Lodge with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson. They were married from 1986 to 1996. Andrew has lived in the lavish home since 2003.
"Even before becoming king, Charles was urging his mother, Queen Elizabeth, to boot Andrew out of his lavish digs," Christopher Andersen, author of "The King," alleged to Fox News Digital.
"But while she was willing to punish Andrew for his involvement with serial sex offender Jeffrey Epstein by stripping Andrew of his royal duties, Andrew remained her favorite child, and she could not bring herself to evict him from Royal Lodge," Andersen claimed.
Britain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York, arrive to attend a Thanksgiving service for the life of King Constantine of the Hellenes, at St. Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle on February 27, 2024. (Christ Jackson/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
"After he became king, Charles began pressuring Andrew to move into more modest quarters at Windsor, but Andrew dug in," Andersen continued. "The disgraced prince has befriended many shady characters over the years, all of whom have deep pockets and might help bail him out financially. Thus far, no one has stepped up. Now that he's battling cancer, the king doesn't have the stomach for another skirmish with his brother. It seems inevitable, however, that Andrew will eventually be tossed out on his ear."
The Royal Lodge in the grounds of Windsor Castle, circa 1942. (Lisa Sheridan/Studio Lisa/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Andrew stepped back from royal duties in 2019 amid his controversial connection to Epstein, an American financier and convicted sex offender. He was also stripped of his honorary military titles.
Before her death in 2022, the queen removed his honorary leadership of various charities, known as royal patronages, and barred him from using the title "his royal highness" in official settings.
Several royal experts alleged to Fox News Digital that King Charles III (left) had promised his mother Queen Elizabeth II (center) that he would look after his younger brother Prince Andrew (right) after she died. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
The council in the northern city of York voted unanimously to withdraw the prince’s "freedom of the city." The honor had been awarded to Andrew in 1987 after the queen had made him the Duke of York. He is the first person to be stripped of the status, an honor that dates back to medieval times.
Local leaders have since argued that Andrew should also lose the title of Duke of York. A spokesperson for Andrew declined to comment at the time.
Prince Andrew is seen out for a ride on April 5, 2024, in London. (MEGA/GC Images/Getty Images)
In 2022, a U.S. judge dismissed the sex abuse lawsuit against Andrew, who reached a settlement with Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre. The prince made a substantial donation to his accuser’s charity and declared that he had never meant to malign her character.
Andrew has denied that he had sex with Giuffre.
Prince Andrew with his arm around the waist of 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre. Ghislaine Maxwell is standing to the right. (U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals)
It was previously reported that Andrew’s annual allowance of nearly $300,000 was being cut in 2023. His main source of income is his Navy pension and a "substantial inheritance" from his late parents, UK outlets revealed at the time.
"Prince Andrew no longer receives money from the royal purse and is struggling financially as he is not able to keep up with the repairs required at Royal Lodge," British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard alleged to Fox News Digital. "The financial upkeep of the property is huge."
Us Weekly alleged that Prince Andrew can't keep up with the expenses to maintain Royal Lodge. (JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
"There are whispers that King Charles is now threatening to evict Prince Andrew and possibly move the Prince and Princess of Wales and their family into the prestigious Royal Lodge," Chard alleged. "[But] King Charles finds it a struggle to issue harsh ultimatums to family. He also has the added pressure of his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II’s words, ringing in his ears … to look after Prince Andrew."
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Prince Andrew, Duke of York departs Westminster Abbey after the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 6, 2023, in London, England. (Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty Images)
Chard believes that the king would give Andrew "a short window of time" to keep up with his expenses to live in Royal Lodge.
"I feel that this is the beginning of a debate about all royal properties," she said. "The royal properties will soon be under renewed scrutiny."
Kinsey Schofield, host of the To Di For Daily podcast, is adamant that the king, who is still undergoing treatment for cancer, won’t evict his brother – at least not yet.
Kinsey Schofield, host of the To Di For Daily podcast, doesn't believe King Charles III would evict Prince Andrew – at least not yet. (Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images)
"The King will not evict Prince Andrew," Schofield insisted. "I also believe that King Charles promised the late Queen Elizabeth that he would protect Andrew."
"Pressure for Andrew to move into Frogmore Cottage is not over yet though," she noted. "[But] there will always be a place for Andrew. It might not be his first choice, but he will have a comfortable roof over his head as long as he stays out of trouble."
Royal author and Vanity Fair correspondent Katie Nicholl previously claimed to Fox News Digital that the queen had remained close to the Duke of York until her death.
Queen Elizabeth II arrives in Westminster Abbey, accompanied by Prince Andrew, Duke of York, for the Service of Thanksgiving for the Duke of Edinburgh on March 29, 2022, in London, England. (Richard Pohle - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
"She saw Andrew very, very regularly right up until her death," said Nicholl. "They remained incredibly close, and she was very protective of him."
"My understanding was that [the queen] did quiz him," said Nicholl. "She asked him about the Epstein allegations and about his relationship with Virginia Giuffre. They had a very honest conversation, and Andrew assured her that he was innocent of those allegations. She believed him. This was her son, after all. And she didn’t just believe him. She stood by him."
Queen Elizabeth II (seen here with Prince Andrew) died in 2022. She was 96. (Ben Stansall - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Epstein, an American financier and convicted sex offender, was found dead behind bars in 2019 at age 66. The U.S. attorney in Manhattan prosecuted Epstein's former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, for helping recruit his underage victims. She was convicted in 2021 and is serving a 20-year prison term.
Andrew has retained his title as the Duke of York and maintains his place in the line of succession to the British throne. However, he may not use the title of HRH or "His Royal Highness" in any capacity.
In a lawsuit filed in 2020, Giuffre accused Andrew of sexually exploiting her on three occasions in 2001 when she was 17. Though Andrew has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, he agreed to an out-of-court settlement paid to the American woman in February 2022.
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Virginia Roberts holds a photo of herself at age 16, when she says Palm Beach multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein began abusing her sexually. (Emily Michot/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
The settlement amount was reported to be anywhere between $3.6 million to $14.8 million.
In 2022, Giuffre withdrew an accusation she had made against Epstein's former attorney, the law professor Alan Dershowitz, saying she "may have made a mistake" in identifying him as an abuser.
Andrew was named in previously secret court documents related to Epstein that were unsealed in the new year. It was part of a 2015 lawsuit filed against Maxwell by Giuffre.
Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, and Jeffrey Epstein (far right) at Ascot. With them are Edward (far left) and Caroline Stanley (in pink), the Earl and Countess of Derby. (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images )
The records – including transcripts of interviews with some of Epstein’s victims and old police reports – contained reminders that the millionaire had surrounded himself with famous and powerful figures, including a few who have also been accused of misconduct.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Stephanie Nolasco covers entertainment at Foxnews.com.
