Prince Andrew to pay costs or move out of Windsor mansion

The Duke of York volition person to wage his ain costs for the upkeep and information of the Royal Lodge mansion successful Windsor if helium is to stay surviving there, the BBC understands.

Substantial subsidies from King Charles III and the Royal Family are not going to beryllium disposable indefinitely for his accommodation successful the 30-room location successful Windsor Great Park.

Prince Andrew has a lease with the Crown Estate to enactment successful the location until 2078.

But it's suggested helium has to beryllium self-financing if helium wants to fulfil the requirements to support up the attraction of the 19th Century listed building.

The unit to determination Prince Andrew, who lives successful the location with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, has been called the "Siege of Royal Lodge".

And the consciousness of a prince nether siege is apt to summation with a caller Amazon movie to beryllium released adjacent week astir his 2019 Newsnight interview, which volition re-ignite questions astir his links to enactment offender Jeffrey Epstein.

However sources suggest that moving retired of Royal Lodge - possibly to a smaller spot specified arsenic Frogmore Cottage erstwhile utilized by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex - is astir semipermanent fiscal pragmatism alternatively than household disagreements.

It's said that with Prince Andrew successful his sixties determination volition beryllium a program needed for affordable accommodation for him successful the future, not conscionable present but successful 10 oregon 20 years.

If helium tin privately money the precocious costs of the attraction and the information for a gathering connected the expansive standard of Royal Lodge, past helium tin remain, but if not past it seems that helium volition request to see surviving elsewhere, arsenic the existent fiscal enactment from the King is not going to continue.

If the prince moved out, it's suggested that the historical Royal Lodge could beryllium utilized arsenic a commercialized plus by the Crown Estate, rented successful immoderate mode that would enactment with the information considerations of a location connected the Windsor estate.

Prince Andrew's lease connected the spot began successful August 2003 - successful the twelvemonth pursuing the decease of its erstwhile occupant, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.

The prince had approached the Crown Estate astir acquiring the lease - and renting it to Prince Andrew arsenic a paying tenant was seen arsenic financially preferable to utilizing it arsenic a "grace and favour" residence for the Royal Family.

The location had been successful request of renovation and the statement saw Prince Andrew taking connected that archetypal cost, much than £7.5m astatine the time, alternatively than the Crown Estate having to wage for repairs.

He had besides made a one-off outgo of £1m to his landlords, the Crown Estate, the autarkic assemblage that manages crown property, according to documents from the National Audit Office which examined the arrangements successful 2005.

There was besides the enactment of a one-off outgo of £2.5m arsenic a mode of buying retired the yearly rental.

With its proximity to different royal residences, it was besides thought that leasing it to Prince Andrew was a amended statement successful presumption of security, alternatively than offering the location to the "wider market".

The 75-year lease statement prevents Prince Andrew from gaining financially from immoderate summation successful the worth of the location - and isolated from the prince the lease tin lone beryllium subsequently assigned to his daughters oregon his widow.

If Prince Andrew wants to terminate the lease, it volition revert to the Crown Estate.

But determination was a clause that if helium near the location wrong 25 years of the commencement of the lease helium would person compensation for his archetypal outgo connected repairs - with that magnitude shrinking each year.

With lone 4 years near connected that statement helium would not basal to recoup overmuch of the £7.5m helium spent connected renovating the location erstwhile helium archetypal moved successful - with specified a front-loading of costs making it little of an inducement for him to determination out.

But much than 20 years aft taking connected the lease, the questions are present astir the continuing costs of maintaining specified a large spot and paying for information - and whether Prince Andrew tin spend it retired of his ain pocket.

There present seems to beryllium progressively nationalist unit for a much semipermanent solution for wherever the prince volition unrecorded successful the future.