Prince Andrew’s ‘past catching up with him’ amid Palace pressure over Royal Lodge

Prince Andrew’s past is ‘catching up with him’, the co-author of Virginia Giuffre’s memoir has said amid reports the King is pressuring him to give up his Royal Lodge home.

The disgraced royal, 65, is said to be in talks with Charles’s representatives about leaving the 30-room residence.

It follows the furore over Andrew’s living arrangements after it emerged he has been living rent-free in the mansion for more than 20 years.

But he is understood to be reluctant to give up the luxury residence and cannot legally be evicted under the terms of a ‘cast iron’ lease.

The Daily Telegraph said the sticking points in the talks are the location of his new home and financial compensation for funds spent on the lodge.

Reports on Saturday claim Abu Dhabi’s royal family has offered the prince the use of a grand mansion in the United Arab Emirates ‘should his position in the UK become untenable’.

Sources told The Sun that Andrew and ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who also lives at Royal Lodge, would be ‘afforded every luxury’ if they decide to accept the offer.

The offer is said to be a gesture of gratitude for the prince’s ‘kindness’ to them while he was deployed as the UK’s overseas business envoy.

Andrew gave up the Duke of York title and other honours last Friday ahead of the publication of Ms Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, following allegations he sexually abused her.

The book’s co-author Amy Wallace said Ms Giuffre wanted ‘wealthy, powerful men to be held to account’.

In an interview with the Associated Press, she said: ‘What we’re watching is Prince Andrew’s life is being eroded for his past behavior.

‘While he’s not being tried in a court of law, his behavior’s catching up with him.’

Ms Wallace said Andrew could still come forward about what he knew about the late paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and help victims of sexual abuse.

‘He still denies what is in this book, we should say. But it’s not too late,’ she said.

‘He could continue to leave aside the things he’s accused of with Virginia. He could still come forward. He was in those houses, he was on the island, he was in the private jet numerous times.

‘He could still come forward and say to the authorities, I want to validate these women’s experience.’

The prince, who strenuously denies the allegations from Ms Giuffre, has been hit by fresh criticism focused on his property, with some MPs eager to debate the issue in Parliament.

The Telegraph reported conversations between Andrew and the King’s representatives have been ongoing since full publication of the prince’s lease agreement on his Berkshire home resulted in intense public scrutiny.

The newspaper said Andrew was resistant but there was a sense of inevitability about the prince, believed to be Queen Elizabeth II’s favourite child, giving up his home.

It comes amid claims a 2011 attempt by Ms Giuffre to serve a civil suit on Andrew was allegedly frustrated by Metropolitan Police officers, first reported by Channel 4 News, which said the force has widened its examinations.

In a statement on Friday the force said: ‘Following recent media reporting on the actions of officers in relation to this matter, we are considering whether any further assessment or review is necessary.’

The Metropolitan Police previously said it was looking into allegations after the Mail On Sunday claimed Andrew passed Ms Giuffre’s date of birth and social security number to his taxpayer-funded bodyguard in 2011 and asked him to investigate.

Obstacles to reaching a settlement are reportedly where Andrew, eighth in line to the throne, will live and what financial recompense he will receive for the funds he spent renovating the home.

There are likely properties on the King’s private Balmoral estate in Scotland and his Sandringham estate in Norfolk that could house Andrew but whether he will accept a smaller home far from his supportive daughters remains to be seen.

The King has long been said to have tried to encourage his younger brother, who lives in Royal Lodge with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, to move out, but Andrew signed a watertight 75-year lease on the property in 2003.

Andrew’s leasehold agreement, seen by the PA news agency, revealed he paid £1 million for the lease and that since then he paid ‘one peppercorn’ of rent ‘if demanded’ per year.

He was also required to pay a further £7.5 million for refurbishments completed in 2005, according to a report by the National Audit Office.

The agreement also contains a clause that states the Crown Estate would have to pay Andrew around £558,000 if he gave up the lease.

There have been claims the prince’s ‘peppercorn’ rent on the Crown Estate property in Windsor Great Park was concealed in a redacted version of his lease submitted to the Land Registry more than 20 years ago.

The Public Accounts Committee has already confirmed it is writing to the Crown Estate and the Treasury asking for further information about the prince’s lease.

Ms Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, alleged she was forced to have sex three times with Andrew, which he vehemently denies, including when she was 17 and also during an orgy, after she was trafficked by Epstein.

Andrew paid millions to settle a civil sexual assault case with her in 2022, despite insisting he had never met her.

Downing Street, meanwhile, said MPs will not be given time in the House of Commons to discuss Andrew’s conduct because the royal family wants Parliament to focus on ‘important issues’.

Number 10 said it would not allocate time for a debate in the chamber although MPs could still scrutinise the situation in committees.

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