Prince Andrew may have signed a 73-year lease when he moved into Royal Lodge Windsor following the Queen Mother's death in 2002, but he was set to swap the royal home for Frogmore Cottage, according to the late Queen Elizabeth II's plan.
Before her death in 2022, the former monarch had reportedly planned to end her grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle's lease of Frogmore in order for her son Andrew to move in for financial reasons.
This means the Duke of York and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson – who currently shares Royal Lodge with the royal – would be forced to downsize from their 30-room home (including seven bedrooms) to the five-bedroom property which acted as Harry and Meghan's UK base from 2019 to 2023.
"Had she lived another year, he would have been out," said Queen Elizabeth's former adviser in Robert Hardman's biography, Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story, serialised by the Mail.
She reportedly saw the set-up at the time as "unsustainable." The biography continued: "It was her plan to move him out, to end the lease for the Sussexes at Frogmore Cottage and to move Andrew in there. It was mainly a money thing, as she could see it was becoming unsustainable."
Andrew has 50 years left on his Crown Estate lease for Royal Lodge, but it is thought that he would want to pass it down to his daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie – who both have properties elsewhere with their young families.
Andrew's finances
The Duke reportedly had a living allowance of around £1 million annually as well as a private security detail at his home, both of which are being ended by King Charles in 2024.
This is not the first time the issue of money has been raised in the royal family.
Prince Harry noted in his biography Spare: "I recognised the absurdity, a man in his mid-30s being cut off by my father.
"But Pa wasn't merely my father. He was my boss, my banker, my comptroller, keeper of the purse strings throughout my adult life."
He raised concerns about a lack of public funding for his security detail during his visits to the UK, stating he doesn't feel his wife Meghan and two kids Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet are safe.
Prince Harry's barrister, Shaheed Fatima KC, read out an emotional written witness statement prepared for the royal's legal challenge against the Home Office in 2023.
Explaining his move to the US, Harry wrote: "It was with great sadness for both of us that my wife and I felt forced to step back from this role and leave the country in 2020.
"The UK is my home. The UK is central to the heritage of my children and a place I want them to feel at home as much as where they live at the moment in the US. That cannot happen if it’s not possible to keep them safe when they are on UK soil."
Frogmore Cottage
Frogmore Cottage was first built as a retreat for Queen Charlotte in 1801 and it is now owned by the Crown Estate, meaning ownership is passed from monarch to monarch.
The late Queen gifted the home to Harry and Meghan for their 2018 wedding, and they moved in the following year after carrying out renovations.
This cost £2.4 million of taxpayer’s money which the royals have since paid back in full, Harry’s spokesperson confirmed in 2020.
The couple maintained Frogmore Cottage as their UK base even after they relocated to Montecito in America in 2020. However, they vacated the property in 2023.
Sir Michael Stevens, Keeper of the Privy Purse, explained: "We can confirm that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have vacated Frogmore Cottage.
"We will not be going into any detail on those arrangements here. Safe to say that, as has previously been stated, the duke and duchess have paid for the expenditure incurred by the Sovereign Grant in relation to the renovation of Frogmore Cottage, thus leaving the Crown with a greatly enhanced asset."
Hardman's book, Charles III: New King, New Court, The Inside Story, was released earlier this year and is being brought out in paperback soon with new details on 7 November.
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