Ex-Prince Andrew is said to be making outrageously bold demands for his new home despite being stripped of his royal titles.
The former Duke of York and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, are currently moving out of their palatial Royal Lodge home. Andrew was forced to surrender his lease amid new uproar over the 65-year-old’s ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“Andrew is said to be at loggerheads with his brother, King Charles,” British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard claimed to Fox News Digital.
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“Andrew feels he has played ball, doing everything asked of him surrounding Royal Lodge. We hear he is reeling and wants to be treated fairly, especially as he is giving up the perfectly valid lease on his beloved Royal Lodge.”
“Andrew feels frustrated, having been pushed into downgrading his accommodation, and is allegedly now demanding a suitable six- or seven-bedroom house on the Sandringham estate,” said Chard. “He feels he is entitled to all the staff he is accustomed to, including a cook, housekeeper, gardener, driver and police security.”
“He may now be viewed as a commoner, but he has never lived like one,” Chard continued. “If left to his own devices, I imagine he wouldn’t know how to look after himself. It’s probably easier for King Charles to privately pay for his brother to be looked after at this point, monitoring his whereabouts and preventing Andrew from causing further possible havoc.”
WATCH: PRINCE ANDREW STRIPPED OF TITLES, EVICTED FROM ROYAL LODGE
Chard’s remarks came after The Mirror reported that Andrew is “negotiating hard” over his new home. The outlet said Andrew wants to ensure he has enough staff to “cater to his needs,” including a cook, housekeeper, gardeners and a butler.
Fox News Digital reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment. A spokesperson previously said they do not comment on Andrew as he’s no longer a working royal.
“Remember, Andrew’s titles were not pulled because he was found legally guilty of a crime, but because of the ‘continued accusations’ against him that ‘distract from the work of His Majesty and the royal family,’ as he wrote in a statement published by Buckingham Palace in early October,” royal commentator Meredith Constant pointed out to Fox News Digital.
“He feels entitled because he was born entitled,” Constant said. “Andrew sees himself as the victim. … I’ve maintained from the beginning of Charles’ reign that he and Prince William were not in lockstep, despite write-ups in the U.K. press. Andrew is one of the issues that father and son do not agree on. William is anxious to get this settled before his eventual reign. He sees how Andrew is casting a shadow over his father’s reign, and he doesn’t want that baggage when he is crowned.”
“They operate at different speeds, but in this situation, with someone like Andrew, letting it drag on like this leaves the institution looking positively ancient and cumbersome, not the agile monarchy that can modernize with the times,” Constant added.
British royals expert Hilary Fordwich claimed to Fox News Digital that Andrew, who was known as the late queen’s favorite son, is “desperate” to take whatever he can get despite his ongoing downfall.
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“This is all about Andrew doing his utmost in a desperate attempt to salvage as much of his forever privilege as possible before he is ousted from Royal Lodge,” said Fordwich.
“He’s fighting a losing battle to protect his dignity and his daughters’ status as princesses. [But] his digging is rather embarrassing, achieving the opposite. It further demonstrates how entitled and tone-deaf he is towards public perception, damaging the monarchy overall. It’s why Prince William is livid.”
“To leave, Andrew is making audacious demands, particularly given ubiquitous public anger about his conduct,” Fordwich shared.
“He wants a vast settlement estimated to be about £75 million ($99 million), a vast home in Sandringham of about six or seven bedrooms, completed with police protection, supported by extensive staff. King Charles is frustrated as he wants Andrew out of Royal Lodge to reduce the ghastly optics of such a disgraced brother still living the high life in one of the crown’s finest homes.”
People magazine reported that Andrew and Sarah have been given a move-out date of Jan. 31. A source told the outlet that Sarah is searching for a new home nearby, which will keep the 66-year-old close to her daughters in London, about a 45-minute drive away.
“She is looking for a place in Windsor,” the insider claimed.
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Princess Beatrice splits her time between a private apartment at St. James and a farmhouse in the Cotswolds. Princess Eugenie divides her time between the Ivy Cottage in the grounds of Kensington Palace and Portugal.
Another source told the outlet that the author plans to “move forward independently” and hasn’t asked for property or special provisions. The insider denied reports that Sarah would be moving into a converted barn on Beatrice’s property or joining Eugenie in Portugal.
According to multiple reports, Andrew and Sarah have lived together for more than a decade despite divorcing in 1996.
Meanwhile, Andrew, 65, is relocating to a property on the king’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk that’s just under a three-hour drive from Windsor.
Fox News Digital reached out to a representative for Sarah Ferguson for comment.
The Mirror pointed out that Andrew’s lease on Royal Lodge was for 75 years. Since the king couldn’t force his brother out, the disgraced royal had to agree to leave on his own accord.
“Despite his fall from grace over the years, Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein and has not been charged with alleged offenses,” said Chard. “I believe his thinking is, his royal titles have been stripped from him, he has lost everything, and may as well go for it, as he has nothing to lose. … Andrew still maintains a warped level of status, and let’s not forget, he is still in the line of succession.”
Constant warned that Andrew isn’t fading quietly into the background, insisting this won’t be the last the public hears of his ongoing battle for relevance.
“Whether it was his time as U.K. trade envoy or a working royal, Andrew’s primary concern is his bottom line,” said Constant.
“What’s in it for Andrew? Royal Lodge is Andrew’s last chip. The palace was careful to say from the start that a formal request was sent to Andrew to relinquish his 75-year lease. They also never provided a timeline. I’d heard from the beginning that this was going to stretch into the new year. Andrew is going to want what, in his mind, is proper compensation — whether that’s more money or housekeepers.”
