lease

Two Fridays ago, Prince Andrew publicly relinquished his titles and honors, a relinquishment which had no real authority, power or legality. It was yet another half-measure, and one which “Scooter King” William eagerly demanded credit for. In the nine days following that, it’s been nothing but fiasco after fiasco for the monarchy and for Andrew. It’s been interesting to try to keep track on Scooter King’s place in the chaos – by some accounts, he’s calling up MPs and demanding more accountability from Andrew. By other accounts, William is out of sight, out of mind, on yet another vacation during his kids’ school holiday, and simply allowing his cancer-stricken father deal with the Andrew problem. I think the latter is probably closer to the truth, but William’s courtiers keep insisting that Scooter King is incredibly powerful and making major moves behind the scenes. From Richard Palmer’s “William’s plans to exile Andrew – and the house move that could undermine them.”

With Britain’s monarchy facing mounting scrutiny over its handling of Prince Andrew, one man is stepping into the frame. Behind the scenes, Prince William is reported to be unhappy with the action taken by his father so far, and he is determined to go much further when he becomes King.

Late on Friday, Andrew was in “advanced talks” with King Charles’ representatives about quitting his Royal Lodge home, The Telegraph reported, with Buckingham Palace determined to pressure the prince into voluntarily leaving. But William has been touted as the person who is putting pressure on his father to do more to finally solve the Andrew problem.

This worries some royal insiders. “What does it say about the King if it has to be his son who will solve the problem?” one said.

His uncle, pumped up with self-importance, fond of grandeur, but lacking in tact and diplomacy, is the antithesis of the sort of monarchy the heir to the throne wants. The Royal Family faces the risk of contagion on several fronts. Cabinet ministers are said to be critical of the Royal Household’s laboured response to a spate of revelations over Andrew and Fergie’s friendship with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

But Andrew’s lease with the Crown Estate, under which he has lived virtually rent-free in his 30-room Royal Lodge mansion for 22 years, has thrown the spotlight on the property deals other members of the family have struck, including the Prince and Princess of Wales.

There are dangers for William if he is found to have a similarly generous lease with the Crown Estate at Forest Lodge, an eight-bedroom Georgian house close to Royal Lodge in the Great Park that is about to become his family’s home. There are 360 properties on the Occupied Royal Palaces Estate, which has provided previous homes for the Wales family at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor and Kensington Palace.

Instead, they have chosen a location outside the royal estate’s security perimeter that will result in 150 acres of parkland being closed to the public, along with a car park for tourists, a gate for local residents, a road, and an environmental centre visited by schoolchildren to appreciate nature.

A five-year review of royal funding under the Sovereign Grant, which is benchmarked to Crown Estate profits, is due next year, putting the wider finances of the Royal Family under the microscope.

William, 43, has long believed that Andrew was a stain on the monarchy who should have stood down long before he did in 2019. He has been consulted at each stage of his uncle’s humiliation but, despite reports he will not be invited to a future coronation, sources close to the heir counsel not to believe everything that is said about what he will do when he becomes King.

With all signs pointing to a slimmed-down group of only five or six working royals compared to the 11 when he becomes King, some in royal circles are suggesting William plans to take the bull by the horns and end all royal titles for non-working members of the family. It would mean Andrew and his daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, would no longer be Prince or Princess and nor would William’s brother Harry or his children, Archie and Lilibet.

[From The i Newspaper]

“Sources close to the heir counsel not to believe everything that is said about what he will do when he becomes King…” About William’s coronation?? That is one of the easiest decisions to make, actually – William saying “Andrew will obviously not be invited to my coronation.” Andrew should also be banned from Charles’s funeral btw, not to be too macabre (except this is already being discussed as well in the public sphere). “What does it say about the King if it has to be his son who will solve the problem?” What does it say about Scooter King that he’s too stupid to ban his human trafficker uncle from his coronation?

But really, the part about the Forest Lodge move is fascinating. It makes it sound like this is less about Andrew and more about William protecting his own interests. 360 properties Will and Kate could have chosen from and they chose the manor house which wasn’t on the list? The one which needed extensive and costly security upgrades and a 150-acre land grab from a public park? Their choice of “forever home” will also close down a parking lot and a tourist gate to Windsor Great Park (which we knew already) AND “a road and an environmental centre visited by schoolchildren to appreciate nature.” We didn’t know that! Palmer also forgot to mention that the Waleses evicted a bunch of people from the cottages around Forest Lodge. Jeez. The Forest Lodge move is looking dumber and dumber by the day. Why on earth were William and Kate given permission to do all of this? And what kind of lease agreement do they have with the Crown Estates?

Photos/screencaps courtesy of AppleTV+ and Kensington Palace’s social media.