Royal Lodge standoff: Why Prince Andrew won’t ‘downgrade’ to Prince Harry, Meghan Markle's former cottage

Prince Andrew is reportedly embroiled in a long-running dispute over his future at Royal Lodge, the 30-room Windsor estate he has called home since 2004.

According to UK media reports, King Charles has been encouraging his younger brother to vacate the property in favour of Frogmore Cottage — the former residence of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle — as part of efforts to slim down royal expenses.

The smaller home would be a significant downgrade from Prince Andrew’s current residence, but the Duke of York has refused to budge.

The 64-year-old royal holds a 75-year lease on Royal Lodge, signed in 2003, and is said to have spent more than £7.5 million (A$15.5 million) on renovations.

He currently lives there with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson.

However, a fresh disagreement has emerged over who is responsible for the estate’s costly external repairs.

While Prince Andrew is believed to have maintained the interior of the property, Daily Mail columnist Ephraim Hardcastle reports there is a “rumbling dispute” about funding major upkeep on the mansion’s exterior.

Prince Andrew isn’t the only royal to pour millions into maintaining and renovating royal residences. Reports suggest Prince Harry and Meghan were never reimbursed for the personal funds they spent on modernising the Grade-II listed property

Frogmore was originally intended as a long-term base for the couple, but just months after completing major renovations in 2019, initially funded in part by a Sovereign Grant and later fully reimbursed by the Sussexes, they stepped back from royal duties and relocated to California.

That includes everything from an eco-friendly boiler system delivering low-carbon heat and endless hot water to top-tier security features, now lost to the Crown Estate.

The couple had previously reimbursed £2.4 million in public funds used for the initial renovations after facing public criticism.

Prince Andrew, once a dashing naval officer who served in the military during the Falklands War with Argentina in the early 1980s, has now become a royal pariah over his friendship with the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

He was forced to step down from a roving UK trade ambassador role in 2011, before quitting all royal duties in 2019 and then being stripped of his military links and royal patronages in 2022 amid allegations of sexual misconduct, which he has always denied.

British media have reported that King Charles had cut off his allowance and wanted to oust the duke from his Royal Lodge.

Despite mounting pressure, Prince Andrew is expected to remain at Royal Lodge until at least 2028.

Under the terms of his lease, he may be entitled to a partial rebate on expenses if asked to vacate the property after 25 years of occupancy.