Prince Andrew’s 31-bedroom Windsor home, the Royal Lodge, has become riddled with mould and damp, new images show.
The scandal-saddled Duke of York has resided in the 98-acre Windsor Park for well over two decades, spending roughly £7 million to repair the £30,000,000 estate.
He and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson have spent years fighting to live in the 19th century, Grade II listed property that costs hundreds of thousands of pounds to maintain.
But new photographs published by The Sun show the home rotting away, with crumbling paintwork, cracks and what appears to be mould flowering the walls.
Patches of paint on the neglected outbuildings and the gatehouse of the Royal Lodge are also peeling, the images show.
The photographs come after The Mirror reporter over the weekend that one in seven rental homes owned by Prince William’s Duchy of Cornwall estate fail to comply with basic energy efficient requirements for landlords.
Scores of homes are blighted with mould and shivering renters are struggling with fuel poverty, The Mirror found.
Andrew, 64, has lived in the home since 2003 but was told to leave the mansion nearly five years ago.
He was forced to relinquish his military titles and royal charities in 2022 after being accused by Virginia Giuffre of sexual abuse when she was a teenager. Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing.
Andrew can no longer use the title of ‘His Royal Highness’, a prized symbol of his status as a senior royal, and cannot undertake public duties.
The question of what to do with the disgraced duke has caused headaches for King Charles since.
Charles has allegedly instructed the Keeper of the Privy Purse – who manages the monarchy’s books – to cut all ties with Andrew. With an autumn deadline to pack his bags looming, the duke may also lose his state-paid security team.
The second son of Queen Elizabeth II signed a 75-year lease with the Crown Estate when he moved in in 2003 on the condition of making a £1,000,000 down payment and paying £260,000 a year in rent. A National Audit Office report shows Andrew has made his payment.
The estate, which includes eight cottages and accommodation for police and security, is packed with 40 hectares of woods and manicured lawn
But Andrew essentially squatting at the mansion has left Charles ‘impatient’, having long resisted calls to downsize.
Andrew has just two options: get a job or move into ‘more suitable accommodation’ such as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s former home Frogmore Cottage.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
