By LONDON — King Charles III has discontinued the private security team for his brother, Prince Andrew, at the Royal Lodge in Windsor, according to palace sources familiar with the matter.
This move is seen by some as the latest in a series of attempts to persuade the Duke of York to vacate the 30-room, £30 million property.
The monarch had been funding private guards at the mansion since 2022, when Andrew’s armed police protection, costing an estimated £3 million annually, was removed following the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Sources indicate the private security team, consisting of ten individuals, will cease operations at the Royal Lodge this autumn.
A palace insider, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the topic, told The Sun on Sunday, “Everyone is speculating this means the Duke will have to leave the Royal Lodge because what other reason could there be to take his security away?” The source added, “It isn’t a secret that the King wants him out.”
Prince Andrew, who remains largely removed from public royal duties due to his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has reportedly resisted previous attempts to relocate.
Earlier this year, he declined an offer to move to nearby Frogmore Cottage, formerly occupied by Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
The Duke of York signed a 75-year lease with the Crown Estate when he moved to Royal Lodge in 2003, making an initial payment of £1 million.
According to lease documents seen by The Times, Andrew is responsible for the property’s maintenance, including repainting the exterior every five years and redecorating the interior every seven years.
Reports suggest that King Charles may be interested in generating commercial revenue from the property.
However, previous speculation that the mansion was earmarked for the Prince and Princess of Wales has been dismissed, with the couple reportedly content at their current residence, Adelaide Cottage.
The Royal Lodge, situated on 98 acres in Windsor Great Park, has a rich history within the royal family. It was used by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) as a private country house, even after their ascension to the throne in 1936.
The property includes a swimming pool, tennis court, and the Royal Chapel of All Saints, where Princess Beatrice, Andrew’s daughter, married in 2020.
Prince Andrew has reportedly invested nearly £7 million in renovations and repairs to the property since moving in.
The ongoing dispute over his residency at Royal Lodge comes amid broader changes in the royal family’s property portfolio and security arrangements under King Charles’s reign.
Buckingham Palace has not officially commented on the matter when contacted by the press.
