Prince Andrew was asked to leave the Royal Lodge in 2023, but the Duke of York has yet to vacate the property. As the disgraced royal holds onto his home, royal watchers wonder if Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice will take over the deed.
"One report this week discussed that a possible motivation for Andrew is holding out is that he sees the Royal Lodge as part of Beatrice and Eugenie's inheritance," Svar Nanan-Sen said on GB News. "The lease has got another 54 years on it to go, Andrew is 64, and so there is very much the possibility that at some point it could pass on to his daughters."
"Prince Andrew is I think we can safely say is pretty stubborn. And if you just think about Prince Andrew's life, this is the guy who was born into the royal family as the spare," Cameron Walker noted. "He was the spare to King Charles' heir. Then, slowly but surely, over the decades, he's been depleted."
In 2022, Andrew lost his HRH status after being accused of assault, but he continues to have access to some of his royal privileges.
"He was that he was the naval hero in the Falklands War he was welcomed back with open arms. He was rumored to be Queen Elizabeth's second favorite son, then Prince William's born, he moves further down the line of succession," Walker said.
"He accepts freebie flights from his rich friends. He then is nicknamed Airmiles Andy by the press," he added. "He then gets a relationship, a friendship, with convicted s-- offender Jeffrey Epstein, which clearly then unraveled with the Newsnight interview."
Since being relieved of duties, Andrew's status within The Firm is often compared to being retired.
"There have been strong allegations against Prince Andrew, all of which he denies. But he was forced to step back as a working member of the royal family," Walker noted.
"Going from almost the top of British society to where he is now, almost the recluse in this massive mansion which may be falling apart at the seams, depending on which way you look at it clearly must have had a huge effect on Prince Andrew," he added.
Although Andrew hasn't moved out of his mansion, there were rumors that Charles wants Andrew to relocate to Frogmore Cottage.
"So is this Prince Andrew's way of trying to hold on desperately to the last thing that gives him status, rather than being demoted yet again, to a really small cottage which used to be lived in by Harryand Meghan and has been done up to Harry and Meghan's Californian tastes," Walker said. "I think it's going to be really interesting to see how this one plays out."
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OK! previously reported Andrew Lownie claimed Andrew enjoys his hobbies.
“I don’t think things are as bad for him as some people suggest,” Lownie told an outlet. “He was up playing golf in the Highlands the other day. He spends a lot of time in the Middle East."
"He is getting all the benefits of being royal without the responsibility and the scrutiny," the royal expert added.