Prince Andrew has reportedly made plans to remain in his current royal residence as his brother, King Charles, continues to look for loopholes to allow them to downsize their residence.
The disgraced Duke of York, 64, has been living in the $38 million Royal Lodge on the grounds of Windsor Castle since 2004, having signed a 75-year lease the previous year.
And in 2019, Prince Andrew was on the verge of being evicted from the luxurious royal residence after his friendship with the late pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein came to light.
A further blow to Andrew's downfall came in January when he was named in the Jeffrey Epstein dossier.
Yet the 75-year-old monarch appears to be struggling to oust his scandal-scarred brother from the estate despite the controversy.
“Andrew can sit back and use up his time,” the source said. He told The Daily Beast“Andrew wants his brother to live a long and prosperous life. He is fiercely loyal to the royal family.”
“But the fact that Andrew is more than 10 years younger than his brother is not a state secret,” the source added.
“Why Charles would want such a distraction at this stage in his reign is a great mystery to Andrew's friends,” the source continued.
“It seems childish and vindictive because I don't think anyone other than Charles cares where Andrew lives.”
The Post has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.
Prince Andrew is reportedly refusing to downsize from his luxurious royal home to Frogmore Cottage, which currently sits empty after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were forced to hand over the keys.
The couple, who live in Montecito, California, will vacate their luxury five-bedroom property in June 2023 and haven't had any new tenants since, they said in a statement. Sovereign Grant Revealed In July.
According to palace sources, Prince Andrew plans to bequeath the leasehold to his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, for their own use after his death.
“The whole situation is in chaos and it is not in the King's interest to have a public debate about it,” the former courtier told the outlet.
“Ultimately, we're going to have to give Andrew something to break the lease.”
Still, Andrew's current property appears to be in better condition than it was before.
The disgraced royals have reportedly defaulted on payments for the Grade II listed building's $503,000-a-year maintenance bill.
