Prince Andrew, Duke of York, is ‘fragile’ amid concerns his family want to kick him out of his Royal Lodge home, according to reports.
The Duke of York is reportedly refusing to move out of his reported £30m mansion, where he’s lived for the last 20 years. Andrew’s royal image has been strained in recent years due to his association with late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Last year, Andrew settled a civil case with his accuser Virginia Giuffre out of court. She had accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17 – allegations he has always denied.
Prince Andrew, Duke of York, latest
As reported by the Mail on Sunday, Andrew is apparently not willing to leave the 30-room residence he shares with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. A friend of the Yorks claimed: “He is so fragile. He’s refusing to see anybody. This has been his family home for the past 20 years. Is it really sensible to kick him out? He’s concerned that now the coronation is over, the knives are out. He’s worried that the royals might even turn off the utilities to get him out of there. But we’re dealing with human beings, not real estate.”
The paper also reported that King Charles has cut his £250,000 annual allowance left by the late Queen. With Prince William’s family apparently lined up to take the house, things could come to a head with Andrew and his brother, Charles.
ED! has contacted reps for the Duke of York and Buckingham Palace for comment.
However, Andrew is not exactly being left homeless. He would reportedly still be welcome to take Frogmore Cottage.
Prince Andrew booed at King’s coronation
It also seems Andrew has fallen out of favour with even the most loyal royalists. As he arrived at Westminster Abbey for King Charles’ coronation last weekend, he was greeted with boos from the public. It could be put down to the sexual assault claims he received from Virginia Giuffre. Although he denied any allegations against him, the case was settled out of court.
Still, the public haven’t forgiven and forgotten the scandal. According to PR expert Jordan James, Charles should be wary of how close to the family Andrew is allowed to remain.
Jordan, from Unlockd PR, told ED!: “If Prince Andrew wasn’t clear about how the public felt about him after his recent scandal, his less than warm welcome at his brother’s coronation should have set him straight.
“From his ill-fated friendship with notorious sex offender Jeffery Epstein to his far-from-secret multimillion-pound out-of-court settlement with Virginia Giuffre due to alleged sexual abuse. There is little love lost between the public and the now-disgraced royal. I think he was lucky to only receive boos at the event.”
Even royal fans haven’t forgiven Andrew
Jordan believes that even royalists remain unforgiving. He said: “Given that the boos were coming from thousands of royal fans, many of whom had spent nights camping to get even a glimpse of the royal family, I think the public opinion of Prince Andrew is clear. Not even the royalists love him any more.”
And King Charles should be very careful before inviting him to an event again. Jordan added: “The decision to have Prince Andrew at his coronation could backfire on the new King. While many appreciate that Andrew did have a right to attend, it could be seen as insensitive. It could show a lack of accountability for his involvement in the sex abuse scandal.”
Read more: OPINION: King Charles should publicly denounce Andrew – then banish him to a land far, far away!
Do you think Prince Andrew should move out? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think.