King Charles’s attempt to remove Prince Andrew from his home at Royal Lodge could be for reasons “rooted in their own family history”, a royal expert has claimed. The King has reportedly asked his younger brother to move out of the 30-bedroom home on the grounds of Windsor Castle, to make way for the Prince and Princess of Wales. But Andrew is refusing to leave the property after signing a long lease.
Writing in the Daily Mail, royal author Angela Levin said there are likely “more personal” reasons the King wants the 30-room estate vacated that may be “colouring Charles’s determination”.
Ms Levin said: “The first point is that their mother, the late Queen had a soft spot for Prince Andrew, her second son, and found it difficult to say ‘no’ to him.
“Prince Philip, meanwhile, was proud of Andrew’s macho demeanour and delighted that he followed him into the Navy.
“Perhaps it’s not surprising, then, that Andrew became rather bumptious, or that the personality differences between the two princes led to comparisons which were not always favourable to Charles.”
The author said she was told by a royal insider about discussions between Andrew, his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson and the late Princess Diana “as to how Prince Charles might be pushed aside”.
She added: “This would have left Andrew as Regent to Prince William, who was then still a teenager, effectively putting the Duke of York on the throne.
“As I explain in my book, Camilla, From Outcast to Queen Consort, Andrew went so far as to try and persuade the late Queen to agree to their plan.
“And that he tried hard to block Charles from marrying Camilla too.”
READ MORE: Sophie not to blame for motorcade crash, say victim’s family
Ms Levin noted that the brothers are “very different people”.
The King has reportedly asked Andrew to move into nearby Frogmore Cottage, which is no longer in use by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and is much smaller than Royal Lodge with five bedrooms.
Ms Levin said it would be “understandable” that Andrew may feel there was a “personal dimension to the demand”.
She continued: “Even this battle over bricks and mortar is, in the wider scheme of things, no more than a spat. The brothers, with very different personalities, values and approaches to life, have been antagonists for some time.
“Andrew, like Harry, was the ‘spare’, second in line to the throne until Prince William was born in 1982 and replaced him in the succession.”
Royal Lodge, worth around £30million, used to be home to the Queen Mother before Andrew moved in after her death, signing a 750-year lease from the Crown Estate.
The Prince has remained there, living with Sarah Ferguson despite their divorce in 1996.
The King has also slashed Prince Andrew’s annual allowance, meaning it is unlikely he can afford the upkeep of Royal Lodge.
If Andrew does leave the property Prince William and Kate would likely move from nearby Adelaide Cottage into the home with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
