S Poddar
Prince Andrew, Duke of York, has dug his heels deep into not moving to a smaller residence—Frogmore Cottage within Windsor Great Park—at the behest of his brother, King Charles III. Really, to Prince Andrew, moving to the tiny Frogmore Cottage from the grand Royal Lodge, in which he has spent nearly two decades, would be too much of a demotion, to some kind of lesser royal status. Apparently, Prince Andrew refuses to accept this.
Here to give his thoughts is the former royal correspondent for the BBC, Michael Cole, who told GB News he thinks he knows what this is about. He said the Duke was too proud of his position in the Royal Family to want to move out of Royal Lodge. “Prince Andrew is very, very proud of his status and asserts it whenever he feels he has to. He will not want to downgrade,” Cole said.
Frogmore Cottage has been the centerpiece of so many royal housing debates, being nestled close to Windsor Castle. Renovated for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, before they moved to North America, it is pretty modest compared to the grandeur of Windsor Castle, and much less opulent than the Royal Lodge itself: a three-storey high Georgian house with gardens and trees.
Andrew is said to have been asked by the King to vacate Royal Lodge to accommodate the potentially future needs of the Prince and Princess of Wales, who are currently residing in Adelaide Cottage within Windsor Great Park with their three children. well adelaide cottage is a rather charming place; however, it is tiny compared to royal lodge, meaning it’s closed for fitting the next in line to the throne.
There’s a catch, however: King Charles can’t legally compel the move. Well, according to the report, Prince Andrew signed a more than 75-year lease for Royal Lodge, which gives him sweeping powers over the estate. This implies that though Andrew may pay for the maintenance of the residence, attached to that may be a long lease of the place, and so the King can’t coerce his brother into leaving.
But despite this legal hurdle, it appears that the King is subtly pressuring Prince Andrew to step down. He will reportedly no longer foot the bill for his brother’s private security detail, which skeptics across royal circles found rather suspect. According to Sun, many are of the view that this act is to “force” Prince Andrew to abscond from Royal Lodge.
The security decision is significant because it signals the King’s displeasure, that he wants his brother out. Without protection that comes with being a senior royal, Prince Andrew could well find it increasingly difficult to justify staying in such a prominent residence. “Everyone is speculating that this means the Duke will have to leave Royal Lodge because what other reason could there be to take his security away?” a source revealed.
It is a situation replicated in the tensions that have been running through the royal family more widely about the status and role of its members. King Charles, who has spent decades calling for a slimmed-down monarchy, appears determined that those no longer working in official capacities make corresponding changes to their lifestyles. For Prince Andrew, whose public duties have been drastically cut back in recent years, that may yet mean an adjustment to life that is rather less focused on royal prerogative.
The stand-off remains as the Duke of York remains adamant. Will Prince Andrew go on battling his brother’s wishes—a fight where pride and attachment to Royal Lodge weigh heavily? Or are the mounting pressures, both logistical and symbolic, ultimately going to break through to him regarding a new, lesser chapter in his royal life? Further clarification on this matter is expected in the coming months with regard to the changing dynamics within the British royal family.
