When King Charles III took to the throne he requested that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle vacate their UK home Frogmore Cottage, while his brother Prince Andrew remains living at his home of Royal Lodge – but is that set to change?
The controversial prince, who is back in the limelight thanks to Amazon Prime's drama, A Very Royal Scandal, lives with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson at the vast residence but there have been rumours for a while that he will be asked to leave.
If he were to vacate, and perhaps move into Harry and Meghan's former home of Frogmore, what would happen to Royal Lodge? Here's why one of his daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie could take over his lease…
A National Audit Office report details the terms of the Duke of York's lease, explaining that it can only be passed down to his offspring or widow.
It reads: "The terms of the August 2003 lease agreement between The Crown Estate and HRH the Duke of York prevent him from gaining financially from any increase in the value of the property, as the freehold rests with The Crown Estate and the leasehold cannot be assigned to anyone else except to his widow or his two daughters (or a trust established solely for their benefit)."
But this protocol would probably only be followed if the Duke of York passed away. It seems more likely that the lease will instead be broken by request of His Majesty, in order to ask Andrew to leave the property.
There is the fact that the sisters may not wish to take on the vast property with millions of pounds worth of upkeep. Princess Beatrice is settled in the Cotswolds now with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and their daughter Sienna, and Princess Eugenie currently splits her time between Portugal and the UK with her two children, August and Ernest, whom she shares with husband Jack Brooksbank.
The report also states: "Should HRH the Duke of York wish to terminate the lease, the property would then revert to The Crown Estate."
King Charles may not move anyone into the Grade II-listed Royal Lodge, instead using the grand place as a source of income if it was rented out. The special residence boasts 30 rooms and 21 acres of land and The Times reports that it could reach £1 million a year if rented.
Sarah Ferguson's YouTube videos have revealed that the residence has a spacious conservatory and beautifully manicured grounds.
While Andrew hasn't spoken out on where he would live as an alternative to Royal Lodge, ex-wife Sarah is said to have purchased a multi-million pound London property in June 2022. Pictures obtained by the Daily Mail show it is a terraced house with Georgian-style sash windows.