The Prince and Princess of Wales have been living in Adelaide Cottage, some three miles from Forest Lodge, since August 2022.
It was revealed this summer that the Waleses and their three children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, seven, hope that the Grade II-listed Forest Lodge will be their “forever home”.
A source said at the time that the move was intended as a fresh start after a “brutal” few years for the couple, including the cancer diagnoses of both the Princess of Wales and the King.
However, their new home is just a short walk from Royal Lodge, where Prince Andrew has lived with Sarah Ferguson, his ex-wife, for more than two decades.
While Prince Andrew is now understood to be in advanced talks with the King’s representatives about quitting his long-time home, his initial response was to dig his heels in and cite the terms of his “cast iron” lease with the Crown Estate.
Buckingham Palace has long tried to place pressure on the King’s younger brother to voluntarily give up the residence, including by cutting his annual allowance last year. And there is now a growing sense of inevitability that Prince Andrew will soon move.
Prince William is understood to have been keen to stay out of the negotiations over his uncle being forced out, as he remains on good terms with his cousins, Beatrice and Eugenie, but he has made it clear he wants the matter resolved.
Andrew’s daughters Beatrice (front) and Eugenie in 2024.Credit: AP
Prince Andrew still has 50 years left on his prepaid lease, and there remains the problem of where he will live instead, as well as how much money he will receive in compensation for the millions he has spent on the property.
It has emerged that the public spending watchdog is poised to help examine Andrew’s finances. Last week, Prime Minister Keir Starmer backed an inquiry into the prince’s grace-and-favour mansion deal.
Starmer said he would support “proper scrutiny” of the arrangement when asked if he would like to see the Prince hauled before Parliament to face MPs.
At PMQs on Wednesday, Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, asked whether Sir Keir would “support a select committee inquiry so all those involved should be called for evidence, including the current occupant”.
Starmer said: “It’s important in relation to all properties, Crown properties, that there is proper scrutiny, so I certainly support that.”
The Telegraph, London
