Queen

There was some buzz late in the day on Thursday that there would be some kind of big royal announcement. Alas, it did not happen. But I kind of wonder if we’ll hear something by the end of business today. One week ago, the Prince Andrew “problem” reached a boiling point, leading to Andrew’s evening announcement: he would willingly relinquish his ducal title and honors. Buckingham Palace hoped that would be the end of it and everyone would move on. Instead, the past seven days have been even more chaotic. I said earlier this week that I wouldn’t be surprised if Andrew is shoved out of Royal Lodge by the end of this week. That is the next move, but it looks like Andrew isn’t going down without a fight. This piece was published in the Telegraph on Thursday:

Prince Andrew believes the King is trying to force him out of his Royal Lodge home because he wants to give it to the Queen, The Telegraph understands.

The Prince is refusing to move out of his 30-room residence near Windsor Castle where he lives rent-free, despite coming under pressure from MPs to move to a more modest property. Andrew has what he regards as a cast-iron lease on Royal Lodge, which means his older brother cannot legally evict him. Having been forced to give up his Duke of York title – following fresh scandals over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted paedophile, and his relationships with suspected Chinese spies – the Prince is facing a possible parliamentary inquiry into his living arrangements.

On Thursday, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chairman of the Commons public accounts committee, confirmed he would be writing to the Treasury and the Crown Estate Commissioners “seeking further information on the lease arrangements for Royal Lodge”. The answers to the questions will determine whether the committee takes the matter further.

Family friends have told The Telegraph that [Andrew] believes the King has an ulterior motive in wanting him to leave Royal Lodge. He and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, his daughters, have told friends that the King wants Royal Lodge to be the Queen’s base in Windsor should she outlive him. It would mirror the living arrangements of Queen Elizabeth II’s mother Queen Elizabeth, who lived in Royal Lodge when she became a widow and moved out of Windsor Castle.

The King’s aides flatly deny the suggestion, but the Prince has nevertheless become fixed on the idea, which surfaced a year ago, that Royal Lodge was being earmarked for the Queen.

In truth, Her Majesty, who became a member of the Royal family by marriage in 2005, is far less grand than Prince Andrew and is unlikely to want to live alone in such a large residence even for only part of the year. She still owns Ray Mill House, the Grade II-listed family house in Wiltshire she bought with the divorce settlement from Andrew Parker Bowles, her first husband, and it is said to be the place where she feels most at home.

Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales, who has no time for his uncle but remains on good terms with his cousins Beatrice and Eugenie, has made it known that he wants the issue of Royal Lodge settled before he becomes King.

[From The Telegraph]

That last part about Prince William “want[ing] the issue of Royal Lodge settled before he becomes King” – completely bizarre, right? William’s allies and courtiers describe his future reign as “ruthless” and “fearless about making changes.” If that’s the case, then surely William would want to wait until he’s king to take care of this Andrew Problem himself? Ruthless William should be using that as a threat to Andrew: make a deal with Charles, because you won’t like the deals on offer during my reign. William wanting Charles to deal with his brother leaves William looking like a coward who refuses to confront his rancid uncle.

As for Andrew’s conspiracy that Charles intends to put Camilla in Royal Lodge… multiple things can be true all at once. One, Andrew needs to be evicted, plain and simple. Two, Royal Lodge is much desired by multiple royals, including William and Kate. Three, while Camilla loves her private oasis (Ray Mill), she will absolutely want a home on a royal estate if she survives her husband, and Royal Lodge would suit her perfectly. Four, if Charles doesn’t settle the Royal Lodge situation during his reign, it’s guaranteed that Ruthless Scooter King would be unlikely to give the Dowager Queen Consort such a palatial mansion as her retirement home, which means Charles does need to take care of this right now if he really does want RL to go to Camilla. Five, Camilla “is far less grand than Prince Andrew and is unlikely to want to live alone in such a large residence even for only part of the year” is a complete lie.

Update: Sources are now saying, as of Friday afternoon/evening, that Andrew is negotiating his withdrawal from Royal Lodge. He’s apparently hellbent on staying in Windsor or London, while King Charles wants to see Andrew shipped off to a cottage/home in Balmoral or Sandringham.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.