King Charles loves nothing more than bullying and berating his brother Andrew through the British press. For much of the past two years, Charles has been trying to get Andrew out of Royal Lodge, the stately mansion which is part of the Royal Windsor estate. Andrew has a valid lease, but Charles doesn’t care. Charles has been trying to force Andrew to move into Frogmore Cottage, which still sits vacant ever since Charles evicted the Sussexes in January 2023. What’s funny/interesting is that whenever Charles briefs the media about some new punishment for Andrew, Andrew pushes back. Hard. Andrew’s “friends” spent all of August calling Charles a petty, jealous and childish king, and they also indicated that that Andrew will outlive Charles by many years. Ouch. Well, the latest is this new piece in the Times:

The King is keen to find a way to “solve” the issue of the Duke of York’s living situation as a new television drama serves up a reminder of Prince Andrew’s fall from grace. Andrew’s police security was removed after a Home Office review and he is now guarded by a security team which costs an estimated £3 million-a-year and is funded from the King’s private wealth. Charles also provides Andrew with a generous living allowance at his own expense. Now, however, the King is said to be losing patience with his brother and has made it clear that there are now “only two possible options” for Andrew.

The first is for the duke to find the means to become independent and pay for his own expenses, which would cover his security and the upkeep on his home. However, with no discernible income except for a modest naval pension it is not clear that Andrew could meet the costs. The second option, those close to Charles say, is for Andrew to agree to move to “more suitable accommodation”.

The King is understood to be happy to continue to support Andrew at Frogmore Cottage and also to continue to provide for Sarah, Duchess of York, Andrew’s former wife who, like the King, has undergone cancer treatment. A source said: “It is now two years into the King’s reign and he wants the matter settled.”

Despite the continued embarrassment of multimillion-pound television dramas depicting his downfall, Andrew remains insistent that he will stay at Royal Lodge, which he leases from the Crown Estate. The lease will run until 2078 although there is little indication that Andrew would be able to afford the upkeep costs without his brother’s support.

The King, meanwhile, is said to be “reconsidering” the amount of funding he gives Andrew. The contract, which provides a ten-strong security detail to guard the duke at Royal Lodge, runs out in the autumn and is not expected to be renewed. No replacement team is thought to have been lined up. It is understood that steps have already been taken to withdraw funding from Andrew. Rather than a punitive step, it is thought to be a decision of financial pragmatism and a way of securing the Duke’s long-term security as he gets older.

A friend of the King’s said that the duke was “taking longer than desirable to recognise the reality of the situation, even though it is clearly the most sensible course of action… It can be done tidily or untidily. It can be done with grace and dignity or it can be forced upon him. It’s all rather sad. But as things stand, life at Royal Lodge is set to become increasingly cold and uncomfortable for the duke. The only question now is when he will realise that he has become a prisoner of his own pride.”

[From The Times]

How many damn times is Charles going to brief the exact same thing? “We can do this the easy way or the hard way!” “I really mean it this time, I’m going to cut off your security!” “You must do as I say, I am the king!” Meanwhile, Andrew is like: stop acting so childish, you’re embarrassing yourself, and btw, I know where the bodies are buried. I’m not even on Andrew’s side about anything, but Charles’s behavior here is unsettling and his obsession with “taking” Royal Lodge is really messed up.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.