Prince Andrew is reportedly desperate to save his costly palatial Royal Lodge – even if it means trying to find work.
The claim was made by British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard, who said the disgraced Duke of York is “clinging on to Royal Lodge for dear life” as he struggles to secure enough money to maintain the royal property.
Fox News Digital reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.
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Prince Andrew is reportedly struggling to find work, which would help him maintain the costly upkeep of Royal Lodge. (Steve Parsons/Getty Images)
“Prince Andrew has little choice of work, as most people won’t touch him,” Chard claimed. “There were murmurs of him carrying out the vast garden maintenance required. However, without help, this would be an impossible task. Andrew would also see this work as beneath him. Manual work is a far cry from his once-glamorous lifestyle.”
A UK property expert recently claimed that the 65-year-old is facing a $190,000 bill to stop the Royal Lodge estate from “spiraling out of control.”
“Without regular attention, an overgrowth can quickly spiral out of control, requiring professional intervention to restore order,” Terry Fisher told GB News.
Prince Andrew has reportedly been forced to develop a green thumb so he can maintain his own gardens. (Reuters/Neil Hall)
“Maintaining 21 acres of gardens at a property like Royal Lodge would typically require a dedicated team of four to six gardeners, depending on the complexity of the landscaping,” Fisher explained.
“Costs can vary, but hiring experienced gardeners could range from $37,000 to $50,000 annually per gardener, meaning the total annual maintenance bill could easily exceed $190,000.”
“This would cover routine tasks like mowing, pruning, planting and general upkeep to ensure the grounds remain in top condition,” added Fisher.
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Prince Andrew reportedly lives in Royal Lodge with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
Chard claimed that an embarrassed Andrew is attempting to lie low as immense scrutiny surrounds the royal property. She noted that Andrew would need to secure funds quickly to maintain the “dilapidated” home.
“Andrew needs to make millions to cover the upkeep,” she claimed. “Work is pretty nonexistent, well, thin on the ground as his reputation is in tatters. . . . Securing sufficient monies since King Charles withdrew his funding has been a constant worry.”
In 2019, Andrew announced that he was stepping back from public duties “for the foreseeable future” because of his association with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The son of Queen Elizabeth II said his history with Epstein had disrupted his family’s work and “the valuable work going on in the many organizations and charities that I am proud to support.”
Prince Andrew was said to be Queen Elizabeth II’s favorite son. England’s longest-reigning monarch passed away in 2022 at age 96. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
The prince said he regretted his ties to the billionaire investor, who took his own life that year while in jail on sex trafficking charges.
The UK’s DailyMail recently reported that Andrew has been tending to the gardens of Royal Lodge to pinch pennies. The 30-room mansion is reportedly surrounded by shrubbery and woodland.
Previously, it was reported that King Charles III ordered precious artifacts to be removed from Andrew’s home, due to maintenance and security concerns. Now, only empty shelves are reportedly seen where the pricey relics were once proudly displayed.
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Royal experts claim that King Charles III and Prince Andrew have a strained relationship following the scandals that have followed the Duke of York. (Dan Kitwood/Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
Us Weekly also reported that the sprawling 19th-century property is faced with dampness issues, as well as “wear and tear” that is ravaging the building. It noted that “cracks are becoming worse on the brickwork,” and there is peeling paint, along with plaster falling off.
Like the home, Andrew’s “trials and tribulations will continue to unravel,” Chard claimed.
“He has made unwise friendships and decisions but still has to secure money to maintain the home he loves dearly,” she said.
Prince Andrew has attempted to keep a low profile since he stepped back from public duties in 2019. (Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images)
Andrew has lived at Royal Lodge since 2004. He currently resides there with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson.
According to reports, he has spent over $9 million on repairs and renovations over the years and $1 million to take it over. His annual rent is a reported $337,000.
The Sunday Times reported that the king did not renew the contract for Andrew’s private security team. The monarch had been paying for Andrew’s security after the prince lost his police protection in 2022. The security team is said to cost the king nearly $4 million annually.
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Prince Andrew has reportedly refused to relocate to Frogmore Cottage, the former UK home of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. (Getty Images)
At the time, a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace told Fox News Digital that the palace would not comment on “security matters.”
“Andrew has not been seen publicly with King Charles III,” British royals expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital. “This isn’t by accident. Little in the royal household happens by accident. It’s totally deliberate, as King Charles is doing everything possible to distance himself from his scandal-ridden brother.”
“The situation regarding repairs has become untenable,” Fordwich claimed. “Some of the damage to the property will be almost irreparable, standing as a visual metaphor for the disintegration of the relationship between brothers.”
King Charles III was crowned in May 2023. (Yui Mok/Pool via Reuters)
Still, Chard claimed that the royal family is hopeful that Andrew will find a way to find scandal-free work to maintain his home and, eventually, revamp his reputation.
“Prince Andrew’s immediate family are rooting for him and will do their best to help where possible,” Chard claimed. “They are still hopeful that he will rise from the ashes like a phoenix.”
Charlotte Griffiths, the Mail on Sunday’s editor-at-large, reported in November that the monarch was extending a generous olive branch to his brother and paying his rent. It’s believed that’s what their late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, would have wanted. For years, it has been said that Andrew was her favorite son.
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Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine and author of “My Mother and I,” agreed with Griffith’s scoop.
“There’s absolutely no doubt that Charles is the one who is providing the money for Andrew, because the [late] queen wouldn’t have left Andrew bereft,” Seward previously explained to Fox News Digital.
“She would’ve made a provision for him, and maybe that provision came through his elder brother as monarch,” she shared. “When the king dies or the queen dies, the money goes to the next monarch. Everything goes to the next monarch. So, she either would have made provisions for Andrew before she died, or she would’ve made provisions through Charles.”
Jeffrey Epstein (right) is seen here with Prince Andrew. (Getty Images)
“I believe that Charles is helping him,” Seward continued. “I don’t see who else would. I’m sure [Andrew’s ex-wife] Fergie would help him. I know Fergie does very well with her books, but I [can’t] imagine she would make enough to run Royal Lodge on her own.”
“I certainly think that the only person who could really be doing this is either monies from the queen or monies from the king,” she said.
The editor also claimed that someone at a “glamorous — and usually ultra-discreet — dinner table” told her that “Charles has paid for it all.”
Before her death, Queen Elizabeth II stripped Andrew of his royal duties and charity roles. (Alastair Grant – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
“The King has cleared it. It’s all done,” the source claimed.
The palace insider, “who’s been a guest at Royal Lodge in years gone by,” claimed that not only did Charles handle the finances, but none of the funds came from taxpayer money.
The Sunday Times previously reported that Andrew had raised enough money to stay in Royal Lodge. According to the outlet, the prince’s funds were approved by the Keeper of the Privy Purse as coming from “legitimate sources.”
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Prince Andrew stands at eighth place in the royal pecking order. (Reuters/Chris Radburn/File Photo)
“The Duke of York, or Prince Andrew as we like to call him, always lived in a palace,” said Seward. “He lived in Buckingham Palace, and then his home was Royal Lodge, which is a very grand home — and he doesn’t want to leave it.”
“I think King Charles . . . said to him, ‘Andrew, it would be so much better if you moved out of Royal Lodge and moved into Frogmore Cottage [the former UK home of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex] . . . because it’s been modernized inside. It’s been beautifully done up. It’s easy to run. It’s not expensive to run. And you’re within the security of the Windsor Castle compound, so it’s not going to cost millions in security.’ But Andrew said, ‘No, I want to stay here.’”
Several royal experts believe Prince Andrew’s future looks bleak. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty Images)
Seward stressed that rigorous upkeep — and plenty of funds — are required to keep the royal property in tip-top shape.
“It’s not just a little house in the middle of nowhere,” said Seward. “It is huge and therefore needs a lot of upkeep. But I think that there’s no way he and Charles would’ve had a row about it, because Charles isn’t like that.”
“He wouldn’t have said, ‘You’ve got to get out,'” Seward insisted. “He would’ve suggested why it would be easier to get out. And Andrew said, ‘No, I want to stay.’ So, Charles said, ‘Fine, but I’m going to have to remove this very expensive security, and we’ll need to find an alternative.'”
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“The Crown Estate would’ve loved to get Andrew out of Royal Lodge, because they could rent the whole thing,” said Seward. “It needs to be seen as making money. And as long as Andrew lives in Royal Lodge, that’s preventing them from making as much as they could. It’s just too bad that he is the late queen’s second son.”
While the duke secured a real estate win, Seward noted, “I don’t think the future holds anything for Prince Andrew.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
