Scandal-magnet Prince Andrew is reportedly refusing to vacate the 30-room Royal Lodge in Windsor, according to the Sun on Sunday. Even thou...
Scandal-magnet Prince Andrew is reportedly refusing to vacate the 30-room Royal Lodge in Windsor, according to the Sun on Sunday.
Even though King Charles has slashed his £250,000 ($436,000) subsidy, meaning he cannot afford the property’s upkeep, a friend of Andrew’s told the paper: “This has been his family home for the last 20 years. Is it really sensible to kick him out? He’s concerned that now the coronation is over, the knives are out. But we’re dealing with human beings, not real estate.”
Another friend said: ‘Eugenie (Andrew’s daughter) is heavily pregnant and her parents expect to have the new grandchild there this summer.”
Prince William and his family were thought to be likely to move in to the property, with Andrew slated to move to Frogmore Cottage, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s former British home.
Andrew paid a multimillion dollar settlement to Virginia Giuffre last year, after she accused him of sexually abusing her while she was being trafficked by his friend, the billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew emphatically denied Giuffre’s accusations. He has since become royal persona non grata, and while present at Charles’ coronation, has no official royal duties to carry out.
“Palace chiefs” had a September date in mind for Andrew’s move-out, but now apparently agree that it is too early. Another friend of Andrew’s told the Sun: “If Charles wants Andrew to play ball and help the family, aren’t there better ways of going about it? Why not do the decent thing, sit down and talk? If they need the house for William, perhaps Andrew should be told. Perhaps William should invite his uncle for tea and explain? Or why doesn’t Charles invite his brother for a meeting and ask him if he’d leave Royal Lodge to help his nephew and the future of the monarchy. And agree a schedule acceptable to both sides?”
Prince William wants a very different coronation
Prince William wants his coronation to “look and feel different” from his father King Charles’ service, so that it looks “modern” and “relevant,” the Sunday Times reports. Pondering how to “evolve” the ceremony, the first, controversial element to be jettisoned will be the “homage of the people”—so no request to the public to swear allegiance to the king and his heirs. Even for Charles, after the kerfuffle in the U.K. over it this time around, the Archbishop of Canterbury dialed the wording down to “invite those who wish to offer their support to do so.”
A source close to William, who was reportedly not closely consulted on the planning for Charles’ coronation, told the Sunday Times: “There is no way he will go down that route or anything like it.” (Hmm, Maybe William’s will be, “You do you.”)
William's mulling of the issue coincides with the U.K. Observer reporting that the membership of anti-monarchy group Republic has doubled since the coronation—and the British police’s heavy-handed crackdown on their supporters. 64 people, including Republic's chief executive Graham Smith, were arrested by police on the day, which Scotland Yard later expressed “regret” over.
The Observer also reports that almost nine in 10 Britons did not pledge allegiance to Charles in the ceremony. The Opinium poll for the paper found that 57% of Britons said they did not pledge allegiance to the king because they did not want to. Another 31% said they did not pledge allegiance, but would not have minded doing so. Only 12% of those polled pledged allegiance.
“Of course the prince and his team are reflective about the events of last week, and it is extremely important to him that it evolves to be relevant whenever it happens.”
— Royal source
William has been “reflecting” on the events of last week with his closest friends and advisers. A source told the Sunday Times: “He is really thinking, how do we make his coronation feel most relevant in the future? He is mindful of the fact that in 20 years’ time, or whenever his time comes, how can the coronation be modern but also unifying to the nation and the Commonwealth? I think his coronation will look and feel quite different.
“Are courtiers sitting at Kensington Palace coming up with a grand plan about what the next Bridge will look like [London Bridge was the codeword for the late Queen’s death, and Forth Bridge for Prince Philip]? No. But of course the prince and his team are reflective about the events of last week, and it is extremely important to him that it evolves to be relevant whenever it happens.”
The Times generously points out that, compared to the late queen’s coronation in 1953, Charles’ was notably more inclusive and diverse, with female bishops and leaders of other faiths.
Another source close to William told the paper: “He’s taking stock, he’s thinking ‘That was a supreme success and it was because Pa altered things. I’ve got to be cognizant of how that evolution happens in my day. What is it that stays? What do I need to change? What will our relationships with the realms and the Commonwealth be then?’ I don’t think he’ll be taking the filleting knife to it, but he will be checking it is sharp.”
Another source close to William said he was focused on the issue of “relevance,” adding: “You can see it in how he has taken having an investiture off the table, and his thinking on how to leave a legacy in communities rather than just going in [to] do ribbon cutting. You can see it in how he is running an environmental prize with Earthshot that is not just about handing cash out, but about the long-term impact globally. He is thinking about his coronation in the same way.”
