Queen Elizabeth ‘remained incredibly close’ to Prince Andrew ‘right up until her death,’ royal author claims
Katie Nicholl, Vanity Fair's royal correspondent and author of 'The New Royals,' spoke to Fox News Digital about the late monarch's close relationship with the Duke of York during the months leading up to her death.
Prince Andrew is allegedly "resisting" King Charles III’s wishes for him to leave the Royal Lodge for Frogmore Cottage, the former U.K. home of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed to Fox News Digital that the couple has been asked to vacate Frogmore Cottage, suggesting a further fraying of ties with the British royal family amid preparations for the king's coronation.
"We can confirm The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been requested to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage," a spokesperson for the couple said in a statement.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been asked to vacate their U.K. home Frogmore Cottage. (Chris Jackson)
A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
"It doesn't surprise me at all that Andrew would be reluctant to move out of his baronial digs at Royal Lodge and into much more modest quarters at Frogmore Cottage," Christopher Andersen, author of "The King," told Fox News Digital. "His late mother Queen Elizabeth II doted on Andrew and indulged his every lavish whim."
Frogmore Cottage is located on the grounds of Windsor Castle west of London. (Getty Images)
"Unfortunately for the Duke of York, there's a new sheriff in town," Andersen shared. "Right now Charles is making good on his promise to streamline the monarchy by cutting expenses. I’m sure Andrew will not be the only member of the royal family whose belt will be tightened by the new monarch."
Prince Andrew, King Charles' younger brother, is said to be "resisting" the move from the Royal Lodge to Frogmore Cottage. (Christopher Furlong - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Frogmore Cottage, located on the grounds of Windsor Castle, had been intended as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s main residence before they gave up royal duties and moved to Southern California. The Sun newspaper reported that Harry's father started the eviction process on Jan. 11, the day after the publication of the 38-year-old's explosive memoir "Spare."
Disclosures Harry made in "Spare" deepened the rift between him and his family. The book included his account of private conversations with his father, and his brother, Prince William.
According to royal experts, there's a reason why Charles, 74, eyed his younger sibling for the move. Andrew’s annual allowance of nearly $300,000 is being cut in April, The Telegraph reported. Friends claimed to the outlet that this will make it difficult for the duke to maintain the 98-acre Windsor property. The 63-year-old's main source of income is his Navy pension and a "substantial inheritance" from his late parents.
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According to reports, King Charles III started the eviction process on Jan. 11, the day after Prince Harry's tell-all "Spare" hit bookshelves. (Getty Images)
A source told The Sun that Andrew is "resolute" that he will stay at Royal Lodge. According to the outlet, he hasn’t accepted the offer to move yet.
"Prince Andrew feels like this move is a downgrade," Kinsey Schofield, host of the "To Di For Daily" podcast, claimed to Fox News Digital. "He is insulted. He feels like he’s being punished. He is resentful."
"Andrew has followed advice from the palace throughout the last few years in handling his scandals," she claimed. "He feels like he followed their rules and now The Firm is betraying him. He is not in a great place right now. Andrew is unhappy. This is the king trying to wrap up the Andrew and Harry drama before his coronation. He wants to put all scandals behind him. The king is fully supported by Camilla, queen consort, and the Wales family."
Elizabeth, before she was crowned queen, with her mother, father King George VI and her younger sister Princess Margaret at the Royal Lodge. (Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Andrew stepped back from royal duties in 2019 amid his controversial connection to the late American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He was also stripped of his honorary military titles. Before her death in 2022, the queen also removed his honorary leadership of various charities, known as royal patronages, and barred him from using the title "his royal highness" in official settings.
The council in the northern city of York voted unanimously to withdraw the prince’s "freedom of the city." The honor was awarded to Andrew in 1987 after the queen made him the Duke of York. He is the first person to be stripped of the status, an honor that dates back to medieval times. Local leaders have since argued that Andrew should also lose the title of Duke of York. A spokesperson for Andrew declined to comment at the time.
In 2022, a U.S. judge dismissed the sex abuse lawsuit against Andrew, who reached a settlement with accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre. The prince made a substantial donation to his accuser’s charity and declared he never meant to malign her character.
Virginia Roberts is seen here holding a photo of herself at age 16. It was around that time she claimed Palm Beach multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein began abusing her sexually. (Emily Michot/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Andrew strenuously denied Giuffre’s allegations after she sued him, accusing the British royal of sexually abusing her while she traveled with Epstein in 2001 when she was 17.
Giuffre, 39, reached the settlement with Andrew after the judge rejected the prince’s bid to win early dismissal of the lawsuit.
Royal expert Shannon Felton Spence told Fox News Digital she isn’t surprised by reports that Andrew may allegedly be balking at a move to Frogmore Cottage. However, the king is determined to settle any family disputes his way before the coronation on May 6.
Prince Andrew attends Sunday service at the Royal Chapel of All Saints, at Royal Lodge, in Windsor on April 11, 2021. The Queen Mother called the Royal Lodge home until her death. (Steve Parsons/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
"Andrew resisting a downgrade is absolutely to be expected and confirms his off-the-charts entitlement," she claimed. "… Evicting the Sussexes from Frogmore Cottage is seismic and shows us the king is responding swiftly and decisively, if not publicly."
"Frogmore was a neglected property for a long time," Felton Spence explained. "The staff call it ‘the little house that could' because after the renovations it was brought back to life."
"But look, Frogmore is a family home," said Felton Spence. "Royal Lodge is a royal residence. Meghan designed Frogmore with her young family in mind. It’s modest and modern in comparison to Royal Lodge. Anyone would be lucky to live in such a beautiful place, newly renovated with such care. Andrew sees it as beneath him. [But] the monarch is the landlord. Considering Andrew just had to sell his Swiss Chalet, I think access to funds is an issue."
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King Charles III, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II, will be crowned on May 6. (Alastair Grant - WPA Pool)
Queen Elizabeth II gave the property to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2018. However, the home required renovations, which resulted in the couple living there for only several months before they stepped down as senior royals in 2020.
Royal accounts for 2019 showed that $3.2 million was spent renovating the house, which involved structural work, rewiring and new flooring. The couple agreed to pay back the money as part of their royal exit. In September 2020, a spokesperson for the couple announced that Harry repaid the British taxpayers’ money that was used to renovate the home.
Without a stable residence in the U.K., it’s unclear whether the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will travel for the coronation. Andersen is adamant that the king is being generous with his controversial sibling.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex reside in California with their two young children. It's unclear whether they will attend the coronation. (Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage)
"Andrew should be grateful that at least his brother is willing to let him stay in the neighborhood," said Andersen. "Given the massive headaches Andrew has caused the monarchy, King Charles might just as well have dispatched him to some drafty outpost in the hinterlands – the royal family has various properties to choose from – or even cut him off entirely."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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