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Several days ago, the Crown Estate confirmed something interesting: after King Charles “cut off” Prince Andrew financially, with the hope of driving Andrew out of Royal Lodge, Andrew revealed to the Crown Estate that he had plenty of money to stay at Royal Lodge. Thus, Charles’s two-year-long plot to drive Andrew out of Royal Lodge has ended in a whimper. Charles and his people briefed about Andrew constantly, deflecting to “the Andrew situation” whenever they needed a quick pseudo-positive headline for Charles. It’s been the weirdest gossip thread to follow, because it was perfectly obvious that Andrew has had millions squirreled away for years. Well, now sources close to Andrew are taking a victory lap and saying outright that Charles looks weak and enfeebled for focusing so much time and effort on this ridiculous plot.
While the palace is refusing to comment officially, some of Charles’ friends are furious, saying that he has been badly advised—and calling for heads to roll. The story has sucked up a remarkable amount of royal time and energy since reports Charles wanted Andrew to leave first began appearing in U.K. papers in early 2023, just after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had been booted out of Frogmore Cottage in a kingly fit of pique over Harry’s depiction of the family in his memoir Spare.
Now, 18 months later, the king’s camp have been forced to admit what Andrew’s side have told The Daily Beast and others from day one; they don’t have a legal leg to stand on and Andrew and his heirs are entitled to stay at the fabulous, ten-bedroomed, crenelated mansion on 90 acres until his lease expires in…2078!
One friend of Charles and Camilla’s said: “Whoever advised the king to set off on this road and keep going down this road has very serious questions to answer. Charles loathes incompetence above all else. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if some people quietly clear off at Christmas never to be seen again.”
Another friend of the family said: “I’m afraid it’s another reflection of the family’s fundamental dysfunction. Normal families don’t have these kinds of arguments. The king’s aides were foolish to wash the family’s dirty linen in public in this way.”
Friends of Andrew told The Daily Beast this weekend they were happy for the disgraced duke. One said: “We are thrilled for Andrew. Andrew has a cast iron lease on the property so god knows why Charles chose to pick this battle. He has been comprehensively humiliated. It’s hard to imagine anyone would have any interest in where Andrew is living if Charles’ aides had not spent the past year banging on about it. He was never going to just walk away from the property; the lease is a valuable asset he intends to leave to his children, and maybe William will be glad of having Eugenie or Beatrice there in years to come. It’s a great result for Andrew and Sarah. It’s absurd that Charles wasn’t dissuaded from launching this campaign against them in the first place, but then to continue it this year, when the king has been so ill, was, frankly, nuts.”
While Andrew is obviously trash, I have to admit, in this very limited situation, I’m fine with him “winning” and I agree that Charles put himself in a losing position, and that this was a humiliating defeat for Charles. You would have thought that the biggest crisis for the monarchy was Andrew’s valid lease on Royal Lodge, that’s the way “palace sources” banged on and on about it for two years. It looks like QEII was able to protect her favorite son much better than she protected her favorite grandson. Remember, Charles is only now claiming that QEII was the one who wanted Andrew out of Royal Lodge (a lie) AND that she would have evicted the Sussexes from Frogmore Cottage as well. Charles is such a dumbass, my god.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
The Royal Family gather on the palace balcony at Trooping the Colour and Queens Birthday Parade on Saturday 9 June 2018 in Buckingham Palace , London. Pictured: Anne, The Princess Royal , Prince Andrew, The Duke of York, HRH Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales,Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge , Prince Louis of Cambridge. Picture by Julie Edwards/LFI/Avalon. All usages must be credited Julie Edwards/LFI/Avalon.,Image: 515354247, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: Julie Edwards/Avalon.Red / Avalon
166873, Charles, Prince of Wales and Duke of York at the funeral of Countess Mountbatten of Burma at St.Paul’s church in Knightsbridge. London, United Kingdom – Tuesday June 27, 2017. UK, FRANCE, AUS, NZ, CHINA, HONG KONG, TAIWAN, SPAIN & ITALY OUT Photograph: © Stephen Lock, i-Images, PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com FEE MUST BE AGREED PRIOR TO USAGE,Image: 533054254, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: i-Images, PacificCoastNews / Avalon
153629, HM The Queen Elizabeth II with the Duke of Edinburgh, arrives in the winners enclosure with Prince Andrew and Prince Harry, on the first day of Royal Ascot. London, United Kingdom – Tuesday June 14, 2016. UK, FRANCE, AUS, NZ, CHINA, HONGKONG, TAIWAN, SPAIN & ITALY OUT Photograph: © Andrew Parsons / i-Images, PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office: +1 310.822.0419 UK Office: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com FEE MUST BE AGREED PRIOR TO USAGE,Image: 533488612, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS, DIRECT SALES ONLY UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE IN CAPTION – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: i-Images, PacificCoastNews / Avalon
(Left-right) Princess Beatrice, Lady Louise Windsor, the Countess of Wessex, Peter Phillips, the Duke of York, Zara Tindall, the Earl of Wessex and Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence gesture to well-wishers outside Balmoral in Scotland following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday. Picture date: Saturday September 10, 2022. . .,Image: 721405600, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Owen Humphreys / Avalon
Britain’s King Charles, Britain’s Anne, Princess Royal, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward attend a vigil, following the death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, inside Westminster Hall in London, Britain, September 16, 2022.,Image: 723504646, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: HANNAH MCKAY / Avalon
Britain’s King Charles III (front R), Britain’s Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Britain’s Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex arrive to mount a vigil around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard with the Imperial State Crown and the Sovereign’s orb and sceptre, lying in state on the catafalque in Westminster Hall, at the Palace of Westminster in London on September 16, 2022, ahead of her funeral on Monday. – Queen Elizabeth II will lie in state in Westminster Hall inside the Palace of Westminster, until 0530 GMT on September 19, a few hours before her funeral, with huge queues expected to file past her coffin to pay their respects.,Image: 723508432, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: DANIEL LEAL / Avalon
Prince Michael of Kent (L) and Prince Andrew departs The Coronation Service of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey in London, England, UK on Saturday 6 May, 2023.,Image: 774227888, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Please credit photographer and agency when publishing as Justin Ng/UPPA/Avalon., Model Release: no, Credit line: Justin Ng / Avalon
WINDSOR, ENGLAND – MAY 07: Prince Andrew, Duke of York during the Coronation Concert on May 07, 2023 in Windsor, England. The Windsor Castle Concert is part of the celebrations of the Coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the other Commonwealth realms that took place at Westminster Abbey yesterday. High-profile performers will entertain members of the royal family and 20,000 guests including 10,000 members of the public.,Image: 774495370, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Leon Neal / Avalon
Death Of HM Queen Elizabeth II-Service of Prayer and Reflection for the Life of Queen Elizabeth II at St Giles’ Cathedral
Sophie Countess of Wessex, Prince Edward the Earl of Wessex, Prince Andrew the Duke of York, King Charles III, Camilla Queen Consort, Princess Anne the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence during a Service of Prayer and Reflection for the Life of Queen Elizabeth II at St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh.
Featuring: Sophie Countess of Wessex, Prince Edward, Prince Andrew, King Charles III, Camilla Queen Consort, Princess Anne
Where: Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
When: 12 Sep 2022
Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images
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