Prince Andrew could be out of Windsor Lodge by OCTOBER (2024)

Prince Andrew could be forced out of his £30million Windsor home by October after King Charles fired his ten-man private security team, it is claimed.

The Duke of York may have been set an autumn deadline to leave Royal Lodge, the 30-room mansion he shares with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.

The ultimatum has come from the monarch, who has long been trying to his disgraced younger brother out of the property with previous reports claiming he wants to rent it outfor £1million a year.

However, Andrew has been reluctant to do so, having signed a 75-year lease with the Crown Estate when he moved in in 2003 on condition of making a £1million down payment and paying £260,000-a-year in rent.

There is also the added complication of much-needed repairs to the buildings on the property, some of which have fallen into disrepair and the bill for renovations already rising to £7million.

Charles's overtures to get Andrew to leave appear to have taken a new twist after it was reported he had told his brother's security team their services will no longer be required.

The monarch has been funding private guards at the mansion since Andrew's armed cops - costing £3million a year - were removed in 2022 amid the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

A Palace insider told The Sun on Sunday: 'Everyone is speculating this means the Duke will have to leave the Royal Lodge because what other reason could there be to take his security away?'

The source added that the team have not left their roles straight away, but will continue to work until their contract expires at the end of October, with no replacement lined up.

They added:'It isn't a secret that the King wants him out.'

The same publication reported earlier this year that Charles could even cut off Andrew from the £4million-a-year he gives his younger brother to stay afloat.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that Andrew had rejected the opportunity to move to Frogmore Cottage, which is nearby and used to be the UK home of Harry and Meghan.

The King is reportedly eager to generate commercial revenue from the mansion as soon as he can boot out the Duke.

It was previously reported that the property was earmarked for heir to the throne Prince William and his wife Princess Catherine, but the couple said they are very happy at Adelaide Cottage.

Andrew - who remains an outcast from public life amid the fallout from his relationship with paedophileEpstein - has reportedly already spent nearly £7million carrying out extensive renovations and repairs to the property.

He has refused all requests by his brother to move into the smaller Frogmore Cottage.

Andrew downsizing to live at Frogmore Cottage would make a significant saving, with friends of the King saying he would continue to pay for mobile security, but would not have to provide static security for the building.

Despite his possible money worries, sources close to the Duke said back in January: 'Andrew is going nowhere. He has a cast iron lease.'

The Mail revealed last year that the King had offered his younger brother a more modest property but Andrew reportedly saw this as a 'demotion' too far.

By comparison run-down Royal Lodge is in dire need of repairs and restoration, which is why insiders believe the lodge should be handed back to Crown Estates.

One insider told The Sun this year: 'It could then be rented to earn money for them, the King's coffers and the country rather than being a drain on everyone's resources'.

A property expert added that a rental price of £1million a year would not be too much of a stretch as the house is incredibly large and has royal connections.

Earlier this year photos showed scaffolding and a skip had been placed outside the property, with others showing the building left in a sad state of neglect.

In June, it was revealed in a document that Prince Andrew has to repaint his Windsor Royal Lodge with two coats of paint every five years.

The lease he signed in 2003 states he has a responsibility to 'repair, renew, uphold, clean and keep in repair and where necessary rebuild' the home.

This includes repainting its external walls every five years with 'two coats of paint' from 2008 and redecorating inside every seven years from 2010.

This means that the exterior decorating was due to have been completed last year, while the interior work is set to be done this year.

The document - which was seen by The Times - dictated that he must 'paint with at least two coats of paint and to paper, polish, decorate and otherwise appropriately treat' the building's interior walls.

Andrew signed the lease, paying £250 a week and agreeing to maintain the vast property.

But claims emerged last year that Andrew could not meet the £400,000-a-year upkeep of Royal Lodge and it was reported that the duke was told he would have to leave the property.

He was granted 'a stay of execution', it was reported last October, after he did a deal with the King to carry out the repair works on the 19th century, Grade II-listed property.

But in June a friend of the King claimed he had threatened to sever ties with Andrew if the Duke continues to refuse to leave Royal Lodge for his new home in Frogmore Cottage.

While sources close to the King said he is willing to pay for his brother to live comfortably out of his private funds from the Duchy of Lancaster, the level of funding needs to be appropriate.

A friend of the King told The Times: 'Unfortunately, if Andrew refuses to leave within a reasonable time frame, then the King may be forced to reassess the whole package of support he provides and the duke would be required to fund the lion's share of his security, accommodation and lifestyle costs all on his own - which, given the sums involved, is highly unlikely to be possible in the long term.

'Everyone is mindful of his well-being, and has his best interests at heart, but there are limits of patience and tolerance.'

Situated in 98 acres in Windsor Great Park, the property was once known as King's Lodge but its name was changed by the Duke of Cumberland when he became King George IV in 1820.

William IV demolished part of Royal Lodge and, for sixty years, senior members of the Royal Household used it mainly as a 'grace-and-favour' home.

In 1931, King George V gave permission for his son, Prince Albert, the Duke of York, and his wife to take over the property and they moved in the following year.

They used the 30-room Royal Lodge as a private country house, even after they became Duke and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1936.

Princess Elizabeth and her sister Margaret spent many happy days playing in the grounds and making use of Y Bwthyn Bach - the miniature thatched cottage that was given to the future Queen by the people of Wales to mark her sixth birthday in 1932.

The grounds of Royal Lodge include a gardener's cottage and the Royal Chapel of All Saints, where Princess Beatrice and Edo Mapelli Mozzi married in 2020 in a ceremony attended by the late Queen and Prince Philip.

There is also a swimming pool and tennis court.

MailOnline has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.