Prince Andrew, Duke of York News and Events 8: Sep 2022 -

[Royalist.in.NC]

It would certainly make sense to me to open these up to the public if Charles doesn’t plan to live in them. How many places does one really need -lol?

Using them as museums or business only is a good idea IMHO

 

[Granada]

I assume we will know by years end what will happen with Andrew, Sarah and Royal Lodge.
Twenty years in, after renovations were done in 2002 when Andrew first expressed an interest in living there, more maintenance, updates and expensive renovation like a new roof are required now. Royal Lodge is a VAST Estate. Little Cottages, Church, ect....

Since Royal Lodge isn't in the Royal Protective Ring as Frogmore is, it is separate, and expensive Security is needed . A little 'perfect storm' for Andrew as Charles is reviewing expenses and cutting costs as he sees fit. Allegedly a 250 thousand pound yearly payment that The Queen gave to Andrew towards maintenance and Staff will be cut. On top of his Security being changed and downsized.

Charles is firmly in charge, why fight change and lots of People as they hit their 60's and retirement, want to scale down expenses and accommodations anyway.

Had Queen Elizabeth still been alive Andrew probably could have finagled her into funding the needed renovation costs. Her Father, when Duke of York, was granted Royal Lodge as a country home by Elizabeth's beloved Grandfather George V. Lots of cherished childhood memories there and her Mother loved it there too. I dont think its to much of a stretch to think She would have been willing to do so.

But, now soaring costs, and diminished money streams are probably an insurmountable problem for Andrew. Does he tough it out for a year or two or three ? We know he must have inherited money, but does he want to sink a lot in to upkeep ? He now has two grandchildren, a third on the way too. Probably like to put away something for them.

Or give in, accept the inevitable and downsize to Frogmore. Not throw away good money in an attempt to hold on the grandeur of Royal Lodge.
Frogmore is lovely and he could add touches there himself. Gardens, pool, ect.....a putting green....LOL.

If, as reports suggest William wants Royal Lodge, I expect that to happen. Charles will be gracious and I suspect sweeten the pot with incentives. Funded Security and *perhaps* allowing Eugenie to have Adelaide Cottage. Beatrice and Edo own a beautiful home and are much wealthier than Eugenie and Jack, so this might be a nice solution.

But then we are talking Andrew and Sarah, so who knows ? Stubborn, arrogant and imperious describes Andrew to a tee. Sarah seems to be doing quite well with her Romance Novel book line, maybe She can kick in some cash....

 

[muriel]

I assume we will know by years end what will happen with Andrew, Sarah and Royal Lodge.
Twenty years in, after renovations were done in 2002 when Andrew first expressed an interest in living there, more maintenance, updates and expensive renovation like a new roof are required now. Royal Lodge is a vast Estate.

Since Royal Lodge isn't in the Royal Protective Ring as Frogmore is, it is separate, and expensive Security is needed . A little 'perfect storm' for Andrew as Charles is reviewing expenses and cutting costs as he sees fit. Allegedly a 250 thousand pound yearly payment that The Queen gave to Andrew towards maintenance and Staff will be cut. On top of his Security being changed and downsized.

Had Queen Elizabeth still been alive Andrew probably could have finagled her into funding the maintenance costs. Her Father, when Duke of York, was granted Royal Lodge as a country home by Elizabeth's beloved Grandfather George V. Lots of cherished childhood memories there and her Mother loved it there too. I dont think its to much of a stretch to think She would have been willing to do so.

But, now soaring costs, and diminished money streams are probably an insurmountable problem for Andrew. Does he tough it out for a year or two or three ? We know he must have inherited money, but does he want to sink a lot in to upkeep ? He now has two grandchildren, a third on the way too. Probably like to put away something for them.

Or give in, accept the inevitable and downsize to Frogmore. Not throw away good money in an attempt to hold on the grandeur of Royal Lodge.

If, as reports suggest William wants Royal Lodge, I expect that to happen. Charles will be gracious and I suspect sweeten the pot with incentives. Funded Security and *perhaps* allowing Eugenie to have Adelaide Cottage. Beatrice and Edo own a beautiful home and are much wealthier than Eugenie and Jack, so this might be a nice solution.

But then we are talking Andrew and Sarah, so who knows ? Stubborn, arrogant and imperious describes Andrew to a tee. Sarah seems to be doing quite well with her Romance Novel book line, maybe She can kick in some cash....

I think the security issue you raise is a very key one. As Andrew is no longer a working royal, it is unlikely the state is funding his security any more. Having him live within the existing protective ring of the Windsor estate would greatly reduce the costs of his security.

As to what happens to Royal Lodge if Andrew were to move out remains a moot point. Whilst William could make good use of it, I think he should move into the castle itself. The private apartments are large enough to accommodate the Wales' family, and the occasional visit by C&C.

 

[Alison H]

I think William and Kate want to maintain some sort of family home whilst the children are growing up. Whilst Royal Lodge isn't exactly a suburban semi, it's a one-family house, which living inside the castle isn't.

 

[Granada]

Today, March 6 The UK Daily Express is reporting that Eugenie and Jack have now moved into Frogmore. Whether true or not I don't know.
Interesting, that She and her husband get a plum and protected Crown Royal Property. Must be nice.

Are they paying a peppercorn rate ? OR FULL market value ?

I'm not a fan of the York Family. I find them to be greedy, grasping and entitled. Andrew and Sarah bring nothing but controversy and dishonor to The Firm. For decades. They NEVER seem to learn. Beatrice though has grown on me since her marriage to Edo. Not a fan of Eugenie though.

I actually was hoping after I thought about it, that Andrew would leave Royal Lodge, but maybe he is digging in his heels and won't go without a fight. But Andrew LOVES Royal perks and feels he deserves them all. I guess it would be too much for him to be smart, downsize in his retirement, and let a young Family move into Royal Lodge.

I really think Royal Lodge would be nice for the Wales to raise their Family in. I too, like Alison H think Royal Lodge is a better fit, in this day and age and can't see William and Kate wanting to raise their Family AT Windsor Castle.

I thought opening up Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle more to the Public and also for State Events, just made more sense.

Well, it will be interesting to see how this plays out. If Andrew insists on staying put there, let him assume ALL responsibility. Maintenance, renovations, ect....The Staff Salary for Gardners, Cooks, Maids, ect.... Upkeep on the Cottages, Church ect....on site. ALONE must surely be high. Not to mention NOW Security. Electricity, heat, all THOSE tallied up had to exceed the supposedly 250 thousand a year the Queen was giving him yearly. It was probably higher.

William and Family are in Adelaide Cottage which is smaller than Frogmore . I will be very curious to see how this all plays out.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Today, March 6 The UK Daily Express is reporting that Eugenie and Jack have now moved into Frogmore.

If you are referring to this article, it is not the Daily Express which is reporting the move, but OK! Magazine. Perhaps there are others who can comment on the reliability of OK! Magazine.

[...] the princess and her husband Jack Brooksbank moved into the Windsor House two weeks ago, according to a source.

A source told OK! Magazine that Harry "couldn't be happier" for his cousin, who he is known to be close to.

Mr Brooksbank has been offered a promotion at the US-based firm Discovery Land Company, which means he will be spending more time in the US.

But according to the insider, Eugenie, who is mother to two-year-old August and is expecting the couple's second child, is "determined to have the baby in the UK and bring up her children in England".

[...]

Another source said Eugenie and Jack would be living at Frogmore temporarily but Buckingham Palace had no long-term plans for them to stay there.

 

[Denville]

Andrew does pay the bills at RL as far as I know, and I doubt if Eugenie is coming to live at Frogmore. its no time since she moved to Portugal

 

[JR76]

Perhaps there are others who can comment on the reliability of OK! Magazine.

OK! is as credible a source as I'm the emperor of China.

 

[hereditarytitles]

I think it is fake news. It was reported months ago that Eugenie and family sometimes lived at Frogmore in accordance with Harry and Meg, because they are "friends".
Then they obviously moved to Portugal, now rumours are that they have recently been seen in the US, looking for a house in Santa Monica, California.
I cannot imagine that they would settle in Frogmore, maybe just for a short while.
Most of it is speculation, but some of it might become true.

 

[Alison H]

OK! is as credible a source as I'm the emperor of China.

OK! is actually a fairly reliable magazine, but I find this particular report hard to believe. It hasn't been mentioned anywhere else. The idea that they're moving in "temporarily" seems more likely.

 

[Princess_Eleanor]

Today, March 6 The UK Daily Express is reporting that Eugenie and Jack have now moved into Frogmore. Whether true or not I don't know.
Interesting, that She and her husband get a plum and protected Crown Royal Property. Must be nice.

Are they paying a peppercorn rate ? OR FULL market value ?

I'm not a fan of the York Family. I find them to be greedy, grasping and entitled. Andrew and Sarah bring nothing but controversy and dishonor to The Firm. For decades. They NEVER seem to learn. Beatrice though has grown on me since her marriage to Edo. Not a fan of Eugenie though.

I actually was hoping after I thought about it, that Andrew would leave Royal Lodge, but maybe he is digging in his heels and won't go without a fight. But Andrew LOVES Royal perks and feels he deserves them all. I guess it would be too much for him to be smart downsize, in his retirement, and let a young Family move into Royal Lodge.

I really think Royal Lodge would be nice for the Wales to raise their Family in. I too, like Alison H think Royal Lodge is a better fit, in this day and age and can't see William and Kate wanting to raise their Family AT Windsor Castle.

I thought opening up Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle more to the Public and also for State Events, just made more sense.

Well, it will be interesting to see how this plays out. If Andrew insists on staying put there, let him assume ALL responsibility. Maintenance, renovations, ect....The Staff Salary for Gardners, Cooks, Maids, ect.... Upkeep on the Cottages, Church ect....on site. ALONE must surely be high. Not to mention NOW Security. Electricity, heat, all THOSE tallied up had to exceed the supposedly 250 thousand a year the Queen was giving him yearly. It was probably higher.

William and Family are in Adelaide Cottage which is smaller than Frogmore . I will be very curious to see how this all plays out.

I don't think Eugenie and Jack have moved into Frogmore just now and because Harry and Meghan have to leave. They have been living at Frogmore (at least when they are in the UK) for a while now, renting it from Harry & Meghan, I believe.

Certainly Harry & Meghan were not evicted from Frogmore so that Eugenie can have it; Charles has never been interested in providing Beatrice & Eugenie with royal perks at all.

I think Beatrice & Eugenie have always gotten and still get a bad reputation because of who their parents are. I have never seen them behave in an embarrassing or scandalous way - which is actually very remarkable considering their parents' behaviour. That is their accomplishment alone and in my opinion they deserve every respect for it; if you did not learn good behaviour from your parents, it is all the more remarkable if you exhibit it.

I don't think Andrew will leave Royal Lodge willingly, but he will probably forced to at some point due to lack of money. It's all his own fault. But the Wales having Anmer, a big KP apartment that they don't really use anymore AND Royal Lodge will not make them look good either.

 

[Granada]

I had read that Jack was the new Brand Ambassador for Costa Terra Golf and Ocean Club Properties in Portugal. Gorgeous VERY high end Resort and Condos. They were supposedly going to split their time between Portugal and The UK too.
Again, no idea if true, but that is what's being reported, they will be moving into Frogmore.

William is Prince of Wales, him having 3 properties is no big deal to me anyway. One on the Sandringham Estate, one at Windsor and a London base at KP. Charles had more when he was Prince of Wales. The European Royal Families ALL have multiple homes too. As does The UK and Continental Nobility.

In America, most of the Stars I can rattle off my head have multiple properties. Alec Baldwin, (cause he's in the news) has his NYC lavish apartment, an Estate in the Hamptons and a farm house in Vermont. Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones ALWAYS had multiple properties. Spain, Bermuda, NYC and California.
Kelly Ripa has her NYC lavish Apartment, a home in the Hamptons and a Beach House in The Caribbean. Most of our Politicians own multiple homes here in The States. Bernie Sanders own three homes. President Biden owns two.

 

[tommy100]

A number of reports have suggested if the Wales' move to Royal Lodge then Eugenie may be offered Adelaide Cottage (in no small part as a further sweetener to Andrew to move out). That may well work IMO.

I think the reality with Royal Lodge is it it too expensive to maintain apart from by the sovereign (who has access to the family wealth and Duchy of Lancaster) or Heir (who has access to the Duchy of Cornwall) or some millionaires / billionaires if the Crown Estate were to rent / lease it commercially. The issue with leasing it was always said to be that the Royal Chapel of All Saints where the Queen worshipped at weekends was in the grounds - that may not apply now but the family may also not be ready for it to be leased commercially given it was Charles' grandmother's home, his mother's family home and has the little welsh cottage in the grounds. I suspect there is a lot of sentiment there. So either they lease it or it goes to William as no one else in the RF can likely afford to keep it going.

I do think 3 homes is a lot, for anyone! But the RF do own properties in all the locations they live - London (official residences), Windsor and Sandringham. We must also remember William is now heir to the Sandringham estate so having a home there makes sense - he will one day own the place. KP is perhaps the biggest blunder really but then again would we really have expected a future King and his family to have stayed in Notts Cottage all this time?

 

[Alison H]

I can't see them leasing it out commercially, for security/privacy reasons.

 

[tommy100]

Exactly, I agree 100% they won't want to lease it out -so either Charles subsides a member of his family to live there or the Wales' use some of the Duchy of Cornwall money to live there.

 

[Princess_Eleanor]

I think perhaps some journalist, who didn't know that Eugenie & Jack have been staying there when needed for a long time now, via Harry & Meghan, got this wrong and because they might be spending time there right now, wrote that they have just moved in.

I can't think of any continental royal heir with 2 mansions and a large palace apartment at their disposal.

Charles as Prince of Wales got a lot of properties, yes, but that was still a different time and in my opinion this sort of thing is becoming less & less palatable to the public. Obviously they own or have access to a lot of Palaces and properties by virtue of being the royal family, and in particular the monarch, but in the future it won't be possible for them to live quite as grandly as they used to. The large amounts of money that go into renovating, furnishing and maintaining these homes, have been closely watched for some years now. And with the current economic troubles, it will look very bad for the Wales to renovate and possibly refurbish another mansion for themselves.

The only reason why the public will probably consider it fine to throw out another royal so they can have another mansion, is because it's Andrew.

I agree that the biggest mistake in retrospect was the KP apartment, they probably don't really use it anymore now. No, I don't think that they should have stayed at Nottingham Cottage all these years, but in my opinion they should have thought this through way earlier. Their choice of homes does not seem well-planned, so they just changed their minds and yes, they can, but I am predicting that it will go down badly in terms of adding another mansion when it's a very bad time economically for most people.

I do not think that Charles should be maintaining Andrew in grand style. He brought this on himself. Queen Elizabeth was most likely very generous in her monetary support of Andrew, but it makes sense that Charles will not be doing the same. In my opinion Charles will not be providing Andrew with the same amount of money as his siblings, who are working royals, and that makes sense.

The Yorks must have been expecting this anyhow, and that's why Sarah bought that apartment in Belgravia.

If Eugenie got Adelaide Cottage, that would be nice. It's not unreasonably big and if Frogmore Cottage is not available to her anymore, it would be nice of Charles to make another place available. And yes, it might also be an incentive for Andrew to stop his resistance, if at least his daughter got a nice house out of the deal. And again, it's not unreasonably big & luxurious.

 

[Granada]

Princess_Eleanor, just off the top of my head the Continental Royal Heirs do live in mansions or palaces and have 2nd or 3rd properties and MUCH access to more.
The Norwegian and Danish Royal Families still have their lavish state funded Royal Yachts too.That all Royal Heirs make use of. Queen Elizabeth lost hers in 1997.
Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark lives in Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen. They also have Fredensborg Castle as a Summer Home. They also have access to Grasten Palace and the stunning Chateau DC Cayx Winery and Vineyard in France that Queen Margrethe bought in 1970's. Amongst other properties.

Crown Prince Haakon in Norway lives in Skaugum Estate, he also has two other Holiday Homes in Uvdal and another one at Flatholmen.

The then Crown Prince of the Netherlands, Willem Alexander lived in Villa Eikenhorst. And also caught a lot of flak when he bought a lavish vacation property in Greece in 2012. With all the whistles and bells included. He also, when Crown Prince had access to an estate the Dutch Royal Family owned in Italy.
I'm just thinking that the wider global interest in the British Royal Family keeps the scrutiny of their lifestyle and homes much worse. Most of these Royal Families have lots of estates, summer vacation homes, hunting-fishing lodges ect.....

I honestly don't think William's three homes is a big deal. For a man of his wealth and position. I think William and Kate thought they would always have Kensington Palace as their primary residence, but for whatever reason, they changed their mind. Again, as you say better planning on their part should have been done.

I completely agree that going forward, the ability to have multiple homes renovated and maintained for anyone other than the King and Heir won't be palatable to the taxpaying public.
It will certainly be different for George, Charlotte and Louis when their time comes to leave home.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Here is the OK! magazine article which was the source of the other stories posted here:

https://www.ok.co.uk/royal/eugenie-frogmore-harry-meghan-29372278

 

[yukari]

These are the Sun and the Mirror, so this could very well be complete nonsense.

Prince Andrew eyes new TV tell-all in latest bid to slip back into royal life

(...)

The disgraced Duke of York has told friends he believes he has a chance of redemption after being embroiled in a sex abuse scandal, which he vehemently denies.

Sources say Andrew has warmed to the idea of “telling his side” of events over the last two years, since his disastrous appearance on*BBC*Newsnight in which he said he had an inability to sweat.

A source close to the Duke said: “Nothing is off the table.

“Andrew has been made to give up his job and now potentially his home.

“He feels there is little else to lose when he has already paid an awfully high price.”

Sources say the Duke favours a US broadcaster after taking note of*Prince Harry’s exposure during a recent promotional tour for his explosive memoir, Spare.

(...)

King Charles in fresh snub to shamed brother Andrew as he refuses to pay eye-watering sum for his Indian healing guru

(...)

Sources say Andrew, 63, has been using the*Indian*guru’s services for several years.

The male yogi is said to treat him using chanting, massages and holistic therapy in the privacy of his mansion.

It is thought the healer stays for up to a month at £30million Royal Lodge in Windsor.

Previously, the expenses bill was signed off by Andrew’s mother, Queen*Elizabeth II, who died last September.

(...)

“While the Queen was always happy to indulge her son over the years, Charles is far less inclined to fund such indulgences particularly in an era of a*cost-of-living*crisis.

(...)

Well, if there's any truth about the yogi guru, I would suggest Andrew to stop using him and contact Durek Verret, maybe he can give discounts in exchange of live stream broadcast of the session (and of course, people has to pay to watch it) ....

 

[Alison H]

Surely even Andrew isn't stupid enough to do another TV interview. Surely ...

 

[Curryong]

Employing an Indian guru for healing massages, chanting etc doesn’t sound much like Andrew at all. Sarah shares Royal Lodge and that sounds more like her cup of tea. She got on well with her former mother in law and the Queen might have paid for this man’s services for her, which Charles has now cut off.

 

[Alisa]

I agree to me it sounds like something Sarah would do and encourage Andrew to participate in.

The Queen likely overindulge her favorite son....now that she is gone Andrew is in for a rude awakening.

 

[tommy100]

Seems like Andrew was able to sweet talk his mother into paying for a lot of his personal costs on expenses - this makes me think money may certainly be a factor in the Royal Lodge stories. I dread to think what else he asked the late Queen to pay - his legal bills for sure and that will have been a heavy chunk of cash!

 

[Denville]

IMO this is nonense. If it is anyone in RL it is probalby Sarah

 

[yukari]

And the next story is his inheritance money.

Prince Andrew complaining he was left no money by the Queen when she died

(...)

The disgraced*Duke of York, 63, has told pals he received none of his mother’s estimated*£650million fortune*to help him rebuild his life.

(...)
A friend of Andy said: “I gather he’s checked it out and there’s no will.

"He’s in despair. He’s a member of the family, for God’s sake.

“What’s he meant to do? Go cap in hand to his older brother to keep a roof over his head?”

Although Andrew is feeling the pinch it is understood he was financially supported by the Queen.

It is understood that she made “very generous” provision for all her children during her life.

(...)

What if his share sort of has already been given prior the Queen's death and some of it was used to pay for the settlement.

Then again this is the Sun and they could be putting up this story to create noise about the Queen's will.

 

[Denville]

oh what absolute nonsense. Im sure the queen left him a reasonable amount, and Charles wont leave him starving. He may request a certain amount of economy.....

 

[tommy100]

I would imagine the Queen may have created trust Funds for all her children over time - the RF use trust funds quite a lot I think (Sunninghill and Gatcombe were said to be held by Trust Funds in the name of the children in case of divorce) Thus they may well have had the bulk of their inheritance already.

TBH I suspect their is not much future inheritance coming down the line as that would be a blatant tax dodge to pass it to Charles to then dish it out to his siblings.

More likely IMO is a Trust Funds to give each of her children a lump sum then an assurance from Charles to keep maintaining them to some level from the proceeds of his inheritance/the Duchy.

That way the core Royal Family fortune is not diminished and can be passed on to the next generation.

 

[muriel]

And the next story is his inheritance money.

Prince Andrew complaining he was left no money by the Queen when she died



What if his share sort of has already been given prior the Queen's death and some of it was used to pay for the settlement.

Then again this is the Sun and they could be putting up this story to create noise about the Queen's will.

I think this is a non-story, as Andrew, as with the other children of QE2 and Prince Philip, would have been provided for through trusts that would have been set up for their benefit some time ago.

 

[Lilyflo]

I think this is a non-story, as Andrew, as with the other children of QE2 and Prince Philip, would have been provided for through trusts that would have been set up for their benefit some time ago.

I completely agree. In order to avoid (not evade) paying inheritance tax, the transfer of funds would have been sorted long ago. If Charles were to start dishing out lump sums now from the funds left to him by QE2, it would certainly appear more like tax evasion.

 

[muriel]

If Charles were to start dishing out lump sums now from the funds left to him by QE2, it would certainly appear more like tax evasion.

Quite right!