HE was once the high-flying partying royal, but these days the walls are quite literally caving in around disgraced Prince Andrew.
This week, our exclusive pictures revealed how the Duke of York looks to have let his Windsor mansion go to ruin as his money problems pile up.
Now, experts have warned Andrew “needs to get real” about his financial situation and “downsize” from his 30-room mansion, suggesting he is petulantly “shoving up two fingers at King Charles” by staying put.
The Duke is said to be determined to hold onto the crumbling Royal Lodge, despite his brother King Charles cutting off his £1 million a year allowance.
The once spendthrift prince, who lived a jetset lifestyle with sheikhs and billionaires, is no longer a working royal and doesn’t appear to have a job.
The Royal Lodge has an estimated annual repair bill of £400,000, but 64-year-old Andrew is only getting around £20,000 a year from his naval pension.
Former Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker is an expert on the complex and often secretive funding of the Windsors, and author of the book And What Do You Do?
He thinks that Andrew will struggle to find a wealthy benefactor to bail him out like he did in the past, because he’s “persona non grata” following allegations that he had sex with Virginia Giuffre after she was trafficked by serial abuser Jeffrey Epstein.
The royal has always denied having sex with Virginia, who was 17 at the time of the alleged offence in 2001, but paid a reported £12 million to her to settle a civil claim in 2022.
He has reportedly been offered the chance to live in Frogmore Cottage, which Prince Harry briefly lived in with his wife Meghan, in Windsor instead, but doesn’t want to shift to the much smaller property.
Norman tells The Sun: “I think it’s right that Andrew should be turfed out of where he is. It’s far too large for him.
“He’s not performing any sort of function for the Royal Family or for the country at large. He needs to get real and downsize.
“I think the offer of Frogmore Cottage is actually a very generous one. He ought to be happy with that.”
Royal author Christopher Wilson, whose books include Fergie – Her Secret Life, thinks it is a “disgrace” that the home the Queen Mother once called her “little paradise” is being left to rot.
He says: “To see the Queen Mother’s much-loved house where she lived, she adored living there, in such a state of disrepair is a disgrace.
“It’s dishonouring her memory. It’s shoving up two fingers at King Charles.”
Christopher believes that Andrew will stay in the Royal Lodge just to annoy his brother Charles.
He adds: “The state of his mind is reflected in the state of his home. It is falling all around him.
“He doesn’t care anymore. He knows he’s never coming back and he’s just digging his toes in.”
The golden boy
It is a massive fall from grace for the prince who was described as the late Queen Elizabeth II’s “favourite son.”
Seen as a war hero, thanks to his bravery as a helicopter pilot in the Falklands War, he was a playboy prince who dated the likes of actress Koo Stark.
Andrew used RAF planes just to fly to golf days in St Andrew’s in Scotland and would criss cross the globe as a UK trade envoy, sometimes taking in ski trips on the way.
The man nicknamed Airmiles Andy no longer enjoys such benefits.
In the past when the prince was strapped for cash, either the Queen or rich benefactors appear to have ridden to his rescue.
Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson’s marital home Sunninghill Park, dubbed South York due to its extravagant Dallas styling, was left empty for almost a decade.
Kazakhstan billionaire Timur Kulibayev paid £15million for it in 2007, which was believed to be £3million over the asking price.
Hunting rich benefactors
But it was Andrew’s friendships with the likes of Epstein and Saif Gaddafi, the son of the brutal former Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, that got him into trouble in the first place.
Norman comments: “Some of these people he dealt with in the Middle East, were just complete autocrats, including people who are associated with torture of opponents.”
In 2019 Andrew said that he had “never stopped loving” Sarah even though they divorced in 1996 after ten years of marriage.
She shares the Royal Lodge with him and could help fund some of the upkeep.
Sarah, 65, makes money from writing books, TV work and her Storytime with Fergie YouTube videos.
I think it’s right that Andrew should be turfed out of where he is
Norman Baker
Norman claims: “It’s even more difficult to find a billionaire to bail them out now, but nevertheless, that’s what they’ll try and do.
“They’re not going to go down the job centre, are they?”
However, Christopher doesn’t think Andrew is so skint that he’s going to need to work for a living – ever.
He explains: “He inherited money from the Queen Mother. He inherited money from the Queen.
“I think there is money there, but he’s not prepared to shell it out.”
Despite their apparent dire financial straits, Sarah was able to find £7 million two years ago for a two-home property in Belgravia, which is one of Londons’ most expensive locations.
That is said to be an investment for their daughters Princess Beatrice, 36, and Princess Eugenie, 34.
Both princesses have married wealthy men: Beatrice to Italian noble Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and Eugenie to marketing executive Jack Brooksbank.
Andrew was also keen for his daughters to retain their titles and be treated like royalty.
Living beyond his means
His bills, though, are likely to keep stacking up.
According to royal author Robert Hardman, the king is no longer shelling out for Andrew’s ten-strong security team.
If Andrew wants protection, he’s going to have to fund it himself.
He also enjoys expensive pastimes such as horse riding, shooting trips and dining out at fancy restaurants.
Christopher comments: “He’s still got staff and he’s still got security, all that costs a great deal of money.
“And he’s got a very expensive wife as well.”
Previously, Andrew’s been able to sell property to deal with money problems.
The prince sold a chalet in Verbier in the Swiss Alps for £17 million, which most likely went to help pay Virginia.
The previous monarch, who gave Sunninghill Park to her second son as a wedding gift, is also believed to have pitched in to fund that payment.
But even Elizabeth realised she could no longer stand by Andrew after his car-crash Newsnight interview where he denied any sexual impropriety with Virginia.
She stripped him of his remaining military titles and is said to have considered shifting him out of the Royal Lodge.
Public purse
Norman, though, says that the taxpayer isn’t saving any money by Andrew’s allowance being stopped.
He explains: “All that will happen is that the King’s no longer paying Andrew, but Charles will just have more money himself.”
The author is worried that the Royal Lodge’s state of disrepair will cost the exchequer more in the long run.
He continues: “Where Andrew is at the moment is an important building and he’s letting it go to rack and ruin.
“What I think will happen is that eventually we may end up seeing William and Kate move in there and there’ll be a massive bill for the public to make up for all the damage that Andrew’s not dealt with.”
