Prince Andrew seen for first time since King Charles ‘threatened to sever all ties over Royal Lodge dispute’

PRINCE Andrew has been sighted for the first time since King Charles is said to have threatened to separate all times over the crumbling Royal Lodge dispute.

The Duke of York, 64, was seen this morning at the wheel of his Range Rover leaving his Royal Lodge home in Windsor.

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It comes after Andrew’s older brother King Charles is warning that life will become “uncomfortable” if the disgraced royal refuses to leave his 30-bedroom mansion.

The monarch, 75, is believed to have stepped up his efforts this year to evict Andrew from his home, which he shares with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, with insiders branding the standoff a “siege of the Royal Lodge”.

According to Palace sources, the King, who is funding Andy’s life, could “reconsider the levels of support he is willing to provide” if he refuses all offers of a new home.

The embarrassed duke, who will never return to public service after paying millions to settle an abuse case with sex trafficking victim Jeffrey Epstein, has for 18 months refused the king’s pleas to move.

The Sun exclusively revealed that Andrew rejected the chance to move into Frogmore Cottage last year after Harry and Meghan were ordered evicted.

Andrew still refuses to budge, pointing out that he has a 75-year lease.

But a friend said The times: “It can be done in an organized or disorderly manner. It can be done with grace and dignity or it can be forced upon him. It’s all very sad.

“But as things stand, life at Royal Lodge is likely to become increasingly cold and uncomfortable for the Duke.

“The only question now is when he will realize he has become a prisoner of himself. pride – and that returning the keys will provide you with much greater comfort and the continued support of your family.”

It turns out that Charles isn’t willing to continue paying out of his own pocket to finance Andy’s lavish lifestyle.

Sources close to the monarch say he may be forced to “reconsider the levels of support he is willing to provide” if the so-called siege of the Royal Lodge continues.

The disgraced duke’s police protection was removed when he resigned from public office amid the Epstein scandal.

But Charles stepped in to pay his multimillion-dollar private security bill.

The crisis shows no sign of going away after Netflix aired its hit drama Scoop detailing Andy’s ‘car crash’ Newsnight interview.

And there is yet another representation of his shame in an Amazon series about his downfall, where Andy is played by actor Michael Sheen.

The scandal-hit father of two has stayed away from the public eye since causing controversy, taking the family to a service for the late Greek King Constantine at Windsor Castle in February in the cancer-stricken king’s absence.

But last month he was seen playing golf without a care in the world with friends in Scotland.

THE DUKE’S DISRESPARE

Prince Andrew’s Royal Lodge home is ‘crumbling’

New photos show crumbling paintwork and cracks forming on the outside of the Grade II-listed 19th-century property.

He has reportedly already invested £7.5 million in repairs, but sources say he cannot continue to foot the £400,000-a-year bill.

The Sun reported last year that the house currently needs around £2 million worth of repairs, with the Duke reportedly paying £200,000 towards repairs to the roof.

Very little work has been carried out on the property since Andrew spent £7 million on repairs when he moved after the Queen Mother’s death in 2002.

A source said to the mirror that Andrew had a clear responsibility for repairs after reaching the deal with his brother.

They said: “Prince Andrew was told that he must take charge of the necessary renovations or he would have no reason to stay in the house.”

The source said the king was very concerned about the state of the house.

“There is no doubt that the King will be alarmed at the true state of the residence after the Duke assured him that everything was under control.”

His finances are said to be in trouble because he can no longer work and it is unclear whether he received any windfalls from his late mother’s will when she died in September 2022.

But he and his ex-wife Fergie kept the corgis and pocketed millions of pounds from the sale of his chalet in the Swiss Alps.

And the late queen helped pay her multimillion-dollar out-of-court settlement to sexual abuse accuser Virginia Giuffre.

Nearby sources Prince Andrew insists he will not leave Royal Lodge citing a 75-year lease on the property that does not expire until June 15, 2078.

Friends of the Duke, last night he entered into a “cast iron” lease and sees no reason to give up his home where he has lived for the past 20 years.

A family source moving to force Andy out told The Times: “The King’s kindness is not unlimited and there is a very good option for Andrew to move into Frogmore Cottage, recently vacated by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who also have the benefit of being within the security cordon of Windsor Castle, thus reducing the need for alternative 24-hour security for the Royal Lodge.

“He is taking longer than desirable to recognize the reality of the situation, even though it is clearly the most sensible course of action.

“If he does not agree to move to a property more suited to his needs, then the king may have to reconsider the levels of support he is willing to provide.”

‘There is no way back’

Prince Andrew’s reputation is irreparably damaged and he will never be able to engineer a return to public life, according to one of Britain’s leading public relations gurus.

Brand and culture expert Nick Ede, who runs PR agency East of Eden, called the embarrassed royal “deluded” for thinking he could ever return to royal duties and encouraged him to give it up and ‘enjoy his life’ in exile.

It follows the release of Scoop – a Netflix film based on the 2019 interview he gave to Newsnight.

Nick said: “There is no way back for him.

“I think you know this perpetual idea that he might still be back. Nobody cares. He has no fans.

“There is no one out there who says ‘We want to see Prince Andrew’, not a single person. I think he has to realize that.

“But I think it’s going to take a long, long time for him to really understand.

“In my opinion, the best thing he could do is enjoy life. He has beautiful daughters. He has a great relationship with Fergie, he has a beautiful house.

“Just live a peaceful life.”

Reflecting on the interview from five years ago – the fallout of which led to Andrew stepping back from royal duties “for the foreseeable future” – Nick compared the fallout to Frost vs Nixon and said he would have encouraged him not to do it.

He said: “If I was advising him, I would say, stay still, stay still, just get on the ground. You know you’re a prince.

“Enjoy the life you lead, but don’t open that can of worms, because that’s what it is.

“There was no admission that a relationship with someone like Epstein was terribly toxic.

“There was no idea that there were many trafficking victims whose lives were completely ruined by Epstein.

“He didn’t seem to think that the association he had with that man was anything other than positive.

“I think his worst faux pas was obviously being in that interview and agreeing to it in the first place, not realizing that he was actually going to be interviewed by a very, very good journalist, who was going to ask him questions that he might not have liked. .

“But I think what this did really showed how archaic Prince Andrew is in his views and thoughts.

“Read the room. He never read a room.”

Another acquaintance who visited Royal Lodge told the newspaper: “It’s really quite sad, but if it comes down to who’s going to blink first, then Andrew is going to dig in.

“He has stayed the execution due to the illnesses of Sarah and the king and hopes that Charles does not want to be seen as vindictive by banishing him.”

The Duchess of York, who despite divorcing Andy 30 years ago still lives at Royal Lodge, has recently been battling breast and skin cancer.

Palace sources insisted that Prince Andrew “remains the king’s brother” and is welcome at family events, but will never return to public service.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson previously declined to comment.

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