King Charles has been through quite the news cycle recently — and now he’s battling a “squatter.”
A prostate cancer diagnosis, his daughter-in-law Kate Middleton fighting her own cancer battle, and the on-going saga between Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle are just a few things the leader of the British Royal Family has been dealing with.
As if that weren’t enough, Prince Andrew (King Charles’ younger brother), the disgraced Duke of York, is refusing to leave his lavish Royal Lodge home for the smaller Frogmore Cottage.
Frogmore Cottage is the former U.K. home of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle remains empty more than a year after the couple was asked to vacate. It was previously reported that Andrew was expected to downsize following his ties to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew currently resides in the palatial Royal Lodge in Windsor, which is reportedly worth $37 million. He has lived on the property since 2003, and it requires an estimated $503,000 annually for upkeep.
Charles wants him out. But Andrew is digging his heels in, according to reports.
“Andrew isn’t going anywhere for the time being,” Christopher Andersen, author of “The King,” told Fox News. “It’s doubtful that King Charles – who, along with his daughter-in-law Kate Middleton, is battling cancer – is in the mood for a knockdown drag-out with his brother.”
“If and when Andrew does move, it will simply be because he doesn’t have the money to heat Royal Lodge or keep the lights on,” Andersen shared. “In the meantime, Frogmore will likely remain empty. It’s worth noting that the King had better luck evicting Andrew from Buckingham Palace, where the Duke of York has maintained his private apartment for decades.”
Kinsey Schofield, host of the To Di For Daily podcast, claimed that Buckingham Palace sources are frustrated with Andrew.
“Prince Andrew does not need such a large home,” Schofield told Fox News. “Prince Andrew’s home requires additional security expenses. The maintenance on Royal Lodge is simply more than Prince Andrew can afford.”
“The king wants to scale down and simplify things for his brother by moving him into Frogmore Cottage,” she shared. “Millions of dollars have been spent on updating and modernizing the property, and there is more than enough room.”
“Prince Andrew is not a team player,” Schofield claimed. “He is entitled and wants what he believes was promised to him by the late Queen Elizabeth. His mother was his most powerful ally, and she is now gone.”
Per the Fox News report, Andrew stepped back from royal duties in 2019 amid his controversial connection to Epstein. He was also stripped of his honorary military titles. Before she died in 2022, the queen also removed his honorary leadership of various charities, known as royal patronages, and barred him from using the title “his royal highness” in official settings.