Prince Andrew was seen driving out of his Windsor home, the Royal Lodge, on Friday morning, just hours after Buckingham Palace confirmed that his older brother, King Charles, had been admitted to hospital for a planned procedure on his prostate. The Duke of York, who has been keeping a low profile since stepping back from public duties in 2019, appeared to be in good spirits as he waved to photographers and drove away in his Range Rover.
According to Express, The Prince’s departure from the Royal Lodge, where he has been living with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson since 2004, comes amid reports that King Charles wants him to vacate the property and make way for Prince William and his family. According to sources, the King has earmarked the 30-room mansion, which is located in Windsor Great Park, for the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children, who currently reside at Kensington Palace in London.
However, Prince Andrew is said to be refusing to leave the Royal Lodge, which he considers his family home and where he has hosted many of his friends and associates, including the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was found dead in his prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Prince Andrew has been accused of having sex with one of Epstein’s alleged victims, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, when she was 17, which he has vehemently denied.
The Duke of York has signed a 75-year lease on the Royal Lodge, which was gifted to him by his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 2002, after she moved to Windsor Castle following the death of her husband, Prince Philip. The lease is reportedly in the Prince’s name, and cannot be taken away from him without his consent. The only way to evict him from the property is through a civil agreement, or by the intervention of the chancellor of the exchequer, who is responsible for the management of the Crown Estate, which owns the land.
The King, who ascended to the throne in 2022 after the Queen’s death, has been trying to persuade his younger brother to move to Frogmore Cottage, the former home of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who relocated to the US after quitting their royal roles. The King reportedly wants to streamline the monarchy and reduce the number of working royals, as well as to distance the royal family from the scandal surrounding Prince Andrew.
The King’s relationship with Prince Andrew has been strained since the latter’s disastrous interview with BBC Newsnight in 2019, in which he attempted to explain his friendship with Epstein and to clear his name from the allegations against him.
The interview was widely criticized as unconvincing and insensitive, and led to Prince Andrew’s withdrawal from public life and the loss of his patronages and military titles. The King is said to be disappointed and frustrated by his brother’s handling of the situation, and to have urged him to cooperate with the US authorities, who have requested to interview him as part of their investigation into Epstein’s crimes.
The King, who is 75, was admitted to the London Clinic on Thursday, where he is expected to undergo a corrective procedure for his enlarged prostate, which is a common condition among men of his age. The Palace said that the King’s condition is benign and that he will postpone his public engagements for a short period of recuperation. The King also said that he wanted to share his diagnosis to encourage men who may be experiencing symptoms to get checked.
The King’s health issue came just a day after it was revealed that Princess Kate, the wife of Prince William, had undergone abdominal surgery and was recovering at the same hospital. The Princess of Wales, who is 42, is expected to stay in hospital for two weeks and is unlikely to resume her public duties before Easter. The King and Prince Andrew visited the Princess at the hospital on Wednesday, where they spent about an hour with her and Prince William.
The King and Prince Andrew are expected to make a full recovery from their procedures, and to resume their royal duties once they are well enough. However, their future relationship remains uncertain, as the King faces pressure to resolve the situation with his brother and to secure the stability and reputation of the monarchy.
