Prince Andrew’s two biggest royal allies share ‘concern’ in feud over ‘crumbling’ home

Prince Andrew has seemingly been embroiled in a long-running row with his older brother King Charles about remaining in his Royal Lodge home – but he is reportedly having his spirits boosted by two important family members

Prince Andrew’s long-running row with King Charles over his home Royal Lodge seemingly shows no sign of coming to an end.

It has long been reported that the King would like his disgraced younger brother to move out of his 30-room mansion in Windsor Great Park, into the nearby smaller Frogmore Cottage. It is also believed that Andrew’s annual £1 million “living allowance” has been withdrawn by Charles, with many left wondering how the Duke of York can continue to pay for the upkeep of the home.

He is believed to spend much of his time at the Windsor residence after he was forced to step down from public duties following his disastrous Newsnight interview five years ago. It appears he spends his days going for horse rides and playing golf.

However, despite his reduced life now, it seems he has two very important Royal Family members offering him their support – and allowing him to take solace in another activity. According to Hello!, the Duke of York’s ‘concerned’ daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have been taking turns spending weekends with him along with their children.

Andrew has been seen taking Beatrice’s three-year-old daughter Sienna on pony rides on the Windsor estate. And a source told the magazine: “The girls take the grandchildren to visit him most weekends. They are spending far more time with him now than they have done in recent years. They are quite close to their father; they seem to be quite protective towards him.”

It comes as a royal author has warned that Charles has a huge decision to make regarding Andrew with Christmas approaching – will he be allowed to walk with the rest of the royals to church at Sandringham on Christmas morning?

For the last two years, Andrew has been allowed to make the public journey to church alongside the King, Queen Camilla, his daughter Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and last year, his ex-wife, Sarah. And The Times reports that if Andrew is allowed to join this year, it will show he hasn’t been completely frozen out by Charles.

However, royal writer Stephen Bates says this does not mean a full rapprochement between the brothers and he said: “Charles has a clear sense of the damage Andrew has done to the institution of monarchy.”

Since 2004, Andrew has lived at Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate, which he now shares with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. Royal Lodge dates back to the mid-17th Century but it wasn’t until the mid-1930s that it got its first royal residents. In 1931, it was gifted to George VI and the Queen Mother – the then Duke and Duchess of York – as a weekend retreat.

Following the Queen Mother’s death, Royal Lodge was leased to Prince Andrew. Along with the main house, the lease included the Gardener’s Cottage, the Chapel Lodge, six Lodge Cottages, police security accommodation and a whopping 40 hectares of land. He was required to pay for any renovations himself, which reportedly were in the region of £7.5million. In 2004, he then moved into Royal Lodge with his two daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie and soon after so did his ex-wife Sarah after signing a 75-year lease.

Frogmore Cottage, the home reportedly being earmarked for Andrew, was formerly the UK residence of Harry and Meghan. Last year, the couple were forced to hand back the keys to the property at the request of the King as they had hardly used the home since they dramatically quit the UK to live in California.