As worshipers remembered Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in their roll call of the faithful at All Souls services across Britain last week, it was hard not to think how horrified our late monarch would have been at the latest outbreak of the hostilities between her two older sons.
The day before, it had been revealed by the Daily Mail – in its serialization of my esteemed colleague Robert Hardman’s updated biography of Charles III – that the King had cut off Prince Andrew financially, marking a new low in relations between the brothers.
In Charles III: New King. New Court reveals to Hardman that the king told Sir Michael Stevens, the keeper of the privy, to abolish his beleaguered brother’s annual personal allowance – believed to be £1 million a year. He has also stopped paying the seven-figure sum for the Duke of York’s private security. “The Duke is no longer a financial burden on the King,” a source confirmed.
Charles has now withdrawn financial support from his younger brother Andrew
I can reveal that the move by the King, who has long made it clear he wants his brother to leave the Royal Lodge, will upset friends of Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, who is also targeting the 30-year-old age lives, has shocked. chamber mansion in Windsor Great Park.
‘Why is the king doing this?’ asked an employee I spoke to. ‘And why now? There’s no point. The king hardly has to save.’
The king received more than £27 million from the Duchy of Lancaster last year, which he could spend as he pleased, without public scrutiny. That huge sum is in addition to the £86.3 million he will receive this year from the Sovereign Grant, which pays for the royal family’s running costs.
The decision to strip Andrew of financial support draws renewed attention to the King’s finances, which are already under heavy scrutiny under the Labor government, which is currently legislating to remove hereditary peers from the Lords.
Nick Thomas-Symonds, Constitution Secretary, said: ‘The hereditary principle in law-making has gone on for too long and is not in keeping with modern Britain.’
And the king certainly cannot rest easy under Sir Keir Starmer, who once called for the abolition of the monarchy. The Prime Minister has since described this as a youthful indiscretion.
The recent publication of stories, such as one revealing how the Duchy of Lancaster on behalf of the King charged the NHS more than £11 million over 15 years for the right to park ambulances in one of its warehouses, is likely to further increase further. nervousness among monarchists.
But instead of standing together, the king attacks his 64-year-old brother Andrew, who served bravely as a helicopter pilot in the Falklands War and worked as a trade envoy for Britain.
“Whatever you think of Andrew or his ex-wife, they have always been loyal to the Crown,” one of their friends insists. ‘It is quite remarkable how Sarah has managed to pursue a successful career in public life, giving countless interviews, but never saying anything damaging about the Royal Family.’
The friend is too discreet to explain, but Andrew and Fergie’s loyalty is in stark contrast to the infidelity of another duke, the Duke of Sussex, who, together with his wife, has made a fortune by taking over the royal family. falling through Harry’s insipid memoirs. , Spare, and their Netflix ‘docu-series’ Harry & Meghan.
Is it wise for the King to force his brother to seek his own fortune in order to pay the costs of maintaining and running the Royal Lodge, which are estimated to be as much as £1 million a year?
Royal Lodge has been the home of the Yorks since they paid £1 million for a 75-year lease in 2003. They spent more than £7.5 million on extensive renovation work on the Queen Mother’s former sprawling Grade II listed country home.
Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah, seen here in Ascot, both still live at Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park
There have been suggestions that Royal Lodge could be rented to a private tenant instead. However, a 2005 National Audit Office report made it clear that this could not happen ‘due to the property’s sensitive location in the center of Windsor Great Park with consequent management considerations, and due to security concerns surrounding the Royal Family’s access to the Royal Chapel’.
The Crown Estate felt at the time that it remained appropriate for the property to remain in residence by the Royal Family. According to my sources, that position has not changed.
Over the weekend it was reported that Andrew had raised the money to stay at Royal Lodge, as his money had been approved by the Keeper of the Privy Purse as coming from legitimate sources.
The king must blow off the dogs and reassure Andrew that he will not be evicted from his family home if his sources of income dry up. Otherwise, his brother might be forced to follow the example of Charles’ unfaithful youngest son and make millions spreading royal secrets.
And no one would want that.