Prince Andrew‘s decision to finally move out of his longtime home, Royal Lodge, after years of mounting pressure may have been swayed by his nephew, Prince William, threatening to strip his daughters of their royal titles, an expert has claimed.
Andrew, 65, has resided in Royal Lodge for the past 22 years, having been granted use of the property by his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 2003.
However, in the wake of his involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking scandal, critics began calling for the father of two to be evicted from the property, which is owned by the Crown Estate and for which he pays just a “peppercorn” rent.
Over the weekend, it was reported that Andrew had finally bowed to that pressure—with sources claiming that he had agreed to vacate Royal Lodge if he and his former spouse, Sarah Ferguson, who has lived with him in the property for several years, each be given a home of their own to move into.
Now, journalist and royal expert Emily Maitlis—the same woman who conducted the 2019 interview with Andrew that is widely believed to have shattered what remained of his credibility—has claimed that it was Prince William who forced the hand of his uncle, by threatening to revoke the titles of his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
“There was a question over whether there had been … a meeting between Prince William and the princesses Beatrice and Eugenie saying, ‘You’ve got to get your dad to move out of Royal Lodge, otherwise we will start reexamining the state of your own titles,'” Maitlis claimed during her News Agents podcast.
The journalist went on to explain that “pressure” was being put on them to try and convince their father to move, adding: “They are, at the moment, allowed to be princesses, but there was pressure being put on them. Obviously, you can see why Andrew, as a father, would want to keep his daughters happy and keep their titles in place.”
Maitlis further alleged that members of the media had been tipped off about a potential movement in Andrew’s living situation, claiming that Buckingham Palace insiders spoke to several journalists and told them they would be able to photograph King Charles driving into Royal Lodge.
“What we learned what was going to happen on Thursday was that Charles, fresh from the Vatican and his audience with the Pope, was going to come via Royal Lodge to be seen in other words reading the riot act to his brother,” she said.
“Nobody was going to film the conversation or see him stepping out the car but there was going to be the moment caught on camera of King Charles’s car heading to Royal Lodge.”
According to the journalist, select press had been told earlier in the day to gather outside of the gates to Royal Lodge on the evening of Oct. 23, with insiders stating that they may want to cover the “passing traffic.”
“The Palace told ITN and the Press Association—the big wire services—to crew the gates outside Royal Lodge at 8 p.m. because, and this was the phrase they used, ‘there may be passing traffic.’ Nothing more was said—just that there may be passing traffic,” she claimed.
However, when the media attention reached a frenzy—with one even sending a helicopter to cover the moment—Maitlis said the Palace “chickened out” and had King Charles scrap the planned meeting altogether.
Her claims come just days after it was reported that a significant step has been taken toward Andrew agreeing to vacate the historic mansion—albeit with some firm demands in place.
According to The Sun, Andrew requested that he and his former spouse—who divorced in 1996 but have continued living together in Royal Lodge—each be given their own home, with a source claiming that two dwellings are required in order to afford each of them ample space.
Insiders claim that Sarah requested that she be given Adelaide Cottage, the home where Prince William and Princess Kate have lived with their three children for the past three years.
William and Kate are due to move out of that property within a matter of weeks, when renovations are completed on their new dwelling, which is known as Forest Lodge.
Meanwhile, Andrew has reportedly agreed to take up residence inside Frogmore Cottage, the property where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle lived up until 2020, when they quit their royal roles and moved to California.
He was initially offered the property in 2023, when Harry and Meghan’s use of the property was officially rescinded; however, he is understood to have turned it down.
Those in Andrew’s camp have since denied that he made any demands, insisting that those homes were offered to him and Sarah in return for them leaving Royal Lodge.
Either way, claims made by insiders close to the beleaguered royal seem to be in agreement that he has reached the end of the road as far as his residency in the historic property is concerned.
“Andy is willing to leave, but these are his demands,” a friend of Andrew told The Sun. “He is realistic and knows the writing is on the wall and that his time at Royal Lodge is up. If he must go then he has asked for Frogmore Cottage. Incredibly Sarah has said she wants Adelaide Cottage.”
The insider suggested that the former couple’s desire to live in separate dwellings “indicates that they … need a break from one another,” adding that a move would represent a “fresh start” for both of them.
However, Adelaide Cottage and Frogmore Cottage are still close enough that they can still “see each other whenever they want.”
According to sources, talks are still ongoing between Andrew and Buckingham Palace—and it is currently unclear how much rent he and Sarah would be charged for living in either of the two homes they are said to have requested.
A move out of Royal Lodge would effectively mark the completion of Andrew’s exile from the royal family, at least the public-facing side, something that his critics have long called for, following the announcement that he has finally agreed to give up his royal titles and honors.
Although he has put up a furious fight against the idea of stepping down from his official roles, that battle came to an end on Oct. 17, when Buckingham Palace announced the news that he was letting go of his titles.
“In discussion with the king, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the royal family,” Andrew said in a statement shared by the palace.
“I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life. With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honors which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
That statement was shared just days before the release of a posthumous memoir written by one of Andrew’s most outspoken accusers, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who died by suicide in April.
The book, which was published Oct. 21, repeated her accusations that Andrew had sex with her when she was underage—with Giuffre claiming at one point that he was involved in an “orgy” on Epstein’s private island.
“Epstein, Andy, and approximately eight other young girls and I had sex together,” she wrote. “The other girls all appeared to be under the age of 18 and didn’t really speak English. Epstein laughed about how they couldn’t really communicate, saying they are the easiest girls to get along with.”
Andrew has repeatedly denied all accusations made against him.
