Buckingham Palace can be eager to keep away from a protracted, drawn-out parliamentary inquiry into any matter that touches on royal funds, which has given added urgency to the matter of resolving Andrew’s lodging.
On the query of the place the Prince will dwell if he leaves Royal Lodge, probably the most trouble-free answer could be to deal with him in one of many King’s privately-owned properties, most definitely Sandringham or Balmoral, the place he may have the usage of one of many many self-contained houses on both property. That may allow him to dwell rent-free with none price to the general public purse.
Activists staging a protest on the entrance to Windsor Nice Park and Royal Lodge the place Prince Andrew lives.Credit score: Getty Photos
However Andrew shouldn’t be eager to be exiled to Norfolk or Scotland and needs to stay in London or Windsor, near his daughters.
Transferring him to a smaller property on the Windsor property would minimise the general public’s outrage at him dwelling a lifetime of taxpayer-subsidised luxurious, however he must pay hire which he may not be capable to afford.
Transferring him into Windsor Citadel or Buckingham Palace would additionally threat accusations that he was being rewarded reasonably than punished, and there could be a price to the general public purse of accommodating him in buildings that belong to the nation.
In the meantime, there’s additionally the query of what would occur to Royal Lodge, as its proximity to Windsor Citadel makes it tough, if not not possible, to hire out privately.
Beneath the phrases of the lease, which he signed in 2003, the Prince is entitled to a refund of a few of the cash he paid up entrance, which included a £1m cost for the 75-year lease and greater than £7.5m in refurbishment prices. If he leaves earlier than subsequent June, he can be in line for a refund of £557,596, which reduces by £185,865 every year till 2028, when he can be owed nothing.
The prince has argued all alongside that it is mindless for him to stroll away from a property which price him round £10m earlier than he even moved in, and which has price hundreds of thousands extra in maintenance since then, whatever the hire being waived.
Meaning he’s prone to demand significantly greater than the cash he’s legally owed, which could need to be funded by the King, because the Crown Property solutions to the Treasury, which is unlikely to permit public cash for use.
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The dwelling preparations of Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, who has her personal rooms in Royal Lodge, are an added complication. It’s unclear whether or not she would transfer with the Prince or discover someplace to dwell on her personal.
The Prince of Wales is known to have been eager to remain out of the negotiations, as he stays on good phrases together with his cousins Beatrice and Eugenie, however has made it clear that he desires the matter resolved.
In current days, Prince William and the King have made it clear by way of their representatives that Beatrice and Eugenie are innocent within the furore and that their houses within the royal palaces are secure.
In an additional blow for Prince Andrew, his royal banner has been faraway from St George’s Chapel at Windsor Citadel. It was linked to his membership of the Order of the Garter, which he gave up final week.
The Telegraph, London
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