In days of old, a king might have banished rebellious relatives — or even chopped off their heads.
But it’s 2023, and King Charles III has simply been left “tired and furious” by the continuing disobedience of his family, sources told Pvnew.
What should be a time of reflection and joy for Charles as he prepares for his May 6 coronation alongside his queen, Camilla, is being marred by the behavior of not just one but two “spares.”
While Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are still negotiating their attendance on the big day (despite the RSVP date of April 2 having already passed), Charles, 74, and his younger brother Prince Andrew are fighting over real estate.
Andrew — who was forced out of royal duties after settling a sex-abuse case with Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre in 2022 — was second in line to the throne until Princess Diana gave birth to Charles’ elder son, Prince William.
Now, the onetime “spare” is refusing to bow to demands to move out of his palatial $37 million home, Royal Lodge in Windsor, despite the demands of the new monarch.
In an effort to convince him to move, Andrew has even been given the keys to Frogmore Cottage — the five-bedroom house from which the King recently evicted Harry and Meghan.
(They are meant to be moving out after the coronation.)
But so far, Andrew, 63, is standing firm and refusing to leave the much grander home he has lived in since 2003.
“Andrew doesn’t want to leave because the property is seen as a symbol of senior royalty — an important property in the family’s portfolio,” said a royal source.
“But William, who is the heir to the throne, has his eye on it.”
William, Kate and their children, George, Charlotte and Louis, only moved to Adelaide Cottage, near Andrew’s Royal Lodge, less than a year ago.
But with just four bedrooms, it is already said to feel too small, particularly as William needs more office space to go with his growing role.
“The cottage they live in once belonged to people who worked for the royals — such as Group Captain Peter Townsend, who had a romance with Princess Margaret and who described it as an ‘ice box’ — and is very cramped,” said royal commentator Joshua Rom.
“It makes a lot more sense for William to have this house to reflect his new role particularly as Andrew is no longer a ‘working royal’ and therefore doesn’t need an office or to entertain dignitaries.”
Insiders say all the wrangling has “infuriated” the king at a time when he needs to focus on the coronation.
“Relations between the king and his brother have never been this bad,” a source said.
“It has turned into a real battle which he never expected and it’s left him tired and infuriated.”
Nigel Hawthorne, author of “Prince Andrew: Epstein, Maxwell and the Palace,” who is writing a book on the relationship between Charles and Andrew, adds: “Their relationship has never been easy and they have always been in competition with each other. While Charles’ navy career was little more than captain of some antiquated minesweeper, Andrew fought in the Falklands War and came back a war hero.”
“But the problem with being the spare is that every time there is a new birth you slip down the rankings and [Andrew] has been completely eclipsed. Charles is King and holds all the power.”
Despite the problems in their relationship, Andrew was given a prime position, standing just behind King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla, on Sunday’s family walk to an Easter service.
The walk to church was the biggest showing of senior royals this year and Andrew stood beside his sister, Princess Anne, the Princess Royal.
As former BBC correspondent Peter Hunt tweeted after: “Nothing happens by chance with the royals.”
“This is the King saying that he is there for Andrew in a personal capacity and a big show of family unity ahead of the coronation,” Rom added of the public walk.
“This is the King showing strength with the backing of his siblings — but it is unlikely it will mean anything new for Andrew. This was not an official engagement; he is still disgraced and unlikely to have a role at the Coronation.”
Charles wants to be seen as the frugal king at a time when the UK is going through a so-called “cost-of-living crisis” amid rising inflation.
As part of that, he reportedly wants a “slimmed-down” royal family that does not include funding his disgraced brother to the tune of millions of dollars every year.
The 30-bedroom Royal Lodge — which, like Frogmore and Adelaide cottages, is in the protected zone of the Great Windsor Estate surrounding Windsor Castle — is a prime property with its own swimming pool and tennis court.
But while Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson, the Duchess of York, still has her own wing, the couple’s two married daughters, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, have moved out.
Andrew signed a 75-year lease on the Lodge following the death of his grandmother, the Queen Mother, who lived there before him and spent several millions doing it up.
But in some ways, Charles was given reason to evict him recently when there were press reports of Andrew complaining to friends that Queen Elizabeth had left all her money to Charles for tax purposes — meaning he couldn’t afford the money to renovate Royal Lodge, which has roof and mold problems.
If Andrew can’t afford to maintain the property, the king, as its owner, has an excuse to throw him out.
“While I don’t think we will see Charles calling the bailiffs in, he can turn the screws more on Andrew by cutting off his money even more,” Hawthorne said.
“Andrew has very little money of his own — which is partly why he depends on his rich businessmen friends to fund him. If he can’t afford the maintenance on a large place like Royal Lodge, he may begin to see that he will have no choice but to move.”
