Royal news live: King Charles ‘axes’ Prince Andrew’s £1m allowance due to Royal Lodge row
King Charles cut the £1 million payment after Prince Andrew refused to move out of his current royal home
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The King will cut financial ties to the disgraced Duke of York after he refused to move out of his home, a royal writer has claimed.
Prince Andrew’s £1 million “living allowance”, received every year, has been withdrawn by Charles as he continues to seek to distance himself from his younger brother.
This is according to royal writer Robert Hardman, in the serialisation of a new book published by the Daily Mail.
The keeper of the privy purse was “instructed to sever [Andrew’s] living allowance”. It comes after Andrew reportedly refused to move out of the 30-room Royal Lodge mansion in Windsor Great Park into the smaller Frogmore Cottage - previously inhabited by Harry and Meghan.
"’The duke is no longer a financial burden on the King,’ confirms one familiar with the situation,” Mr Hardman writes.
"’He claims to have found other sources of income related to his contacts in international trade, sufficient to cover all his costs - which would be a welcome outcome for all parties if that turns out to be the case.
"’But as to whether this funding can be relied upon in the long term is another matter."’
Late Queen Elizabeth urged William and Harry to do one thing
Queen Elizabeth offered a crucial piece of advice to her grandsons, Princes William and Harry.
According to royal author Angela Levin, the late Queen, who passed away at 96, was increasingly troubled by what she perceived as a misalignment in their priorities.
Levin’s book, ‘Harry: Conversations with the Prince’, reveals that the Queen expressed her worries in a direct nine-word warning: the brothers must “think of the nation’s needs rather than their own.”
At the time, the Queen’s concerns were particularly focused on Harry’s vision for his role within the family.
Mr Levin said that Duke of Sussex envisioned a life for the young royals that embraces a sense of “ordinary life,” suggesting that their familial obligations might sometimes take precedence over their commitments to the monarchy.
This perspective seemed at odds with the Queen’s traditional views on royal responsibilities.
Insiders close to the royal family said that this was a serious concern for the Queen, who, while known for her stoic demeanour, felt the weight of her legacy and the institution she represented.
Ditching monarchy would represent ‘a loss of identity’ to many Brits, argues new study
Queen Elizabeth II’s death had a profound impact on national sentiment towards the monarchy, a study has claimed.
Academics from The Open University focused on individuals who participated in mourning events in Edinburgh and London following the monarch’s passing on 8 September, 2022.
During the ten-day mourning period that followed the longest-reigning monarch’s death, over 250,000 people queued to pay their respects in Westminster Hall.
You can read the full story below:
Ditching monarchy would represent ‘loss of identity’ to many Brits, argues new study
Brits believe Queen Elizabeth II represented ‘something of who we were’
Princess Kate to miss Prince William’’s Earthshot Prize Awards
As Prince William prepares to travel to Cape Town next week for the fourth Earthshot Prize Awards, Princess Kate will remain in Windsor with their three children.
After being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year and completing chemotherapy just two months ago, the 42-year-old Princess has chosen to prioritise her health and family during this time.
This marks the second consecutive year she has opted out of the event.
Prince William founded the Earthshot Prize is environmental awards back in 2020 to champion for green solutions for the world’s climate problems.
Last year, Kate missed the ceremony in Singapore while Prince George was taking his exams.
At the time, a senior Palace source said: “The Princess will not be attending. Prince George has exams that week and the Princess wants to be at home to support him.”
‘It’s important to change the narrative around homelessness’, says William
In the ITV documentary We Can End Homelessness, Prince William said it is vital to change attitudes towards homelessness.
“I think it’s really important that we can try and change and tackle the narrative around homelessness,” he said. “People live with it, we see it every day in our lives, that’s something I want to challenge.”
One of the clips shows the prince looking through photos of a visit to a homeless charity when he was a child, with his mother, Princess Diana.
“That’s when it dawned on me that there are other people out there who don’t have the same life as you do. When you’re quite small, you just think life is what you see in front of you, and you don’t really have the concept to look elsewhere,” he said.
“It’s when you meet people, like I did then, who put a different perspective in your head and say like, ‘well, I was on the street last night’, and you’re like, ‘whoa’,” he added.
Watch: Tom Parker Bowles full interview with Geordie Greig
Queen Camilla’s barefoot stroll in Australia is a royal tradition
Queen Camilla made a keynote appearance earlier this week as she and King Charles toured the streets of Sydney, opting to remove her heels for a relaxed walk back to Admiralty House.
The 77-year-old monarch, fresh from a six-day visit to Samoa, embraced a more casual look, shedding her shoes and enjoying the warm pavement.
While this move may have surprised some, it aligns with a trend among high-profile royals.
Notably, the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, has also gone barefoot on several occasions, first making headlines when she did so in 2012.
Inside the no-frills health retreat Charles and Camilla can’t keep away from
It is a place where the Queen has brought a number of friends and relatives – returning a total of seven times.
Eschewing her hectic day-to-day schedule, it is at the Soukya health retreat in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru that Camilla is said to be a devotee of yoga, embracing the ritual and championing the food.
Arpan Rai reports from the Soukya retreat where the King and Queen have found a home away from home in Bengaluru, India.
Inside the no-frills health retreat Charles and Camilla can’t keep away from
Arpan Rai reports from the Soukya retreat where the King and Queen have found a home away from home in Bengaluru, India
Princess Diana biographer issues withering Meghan Markle verdict
The former editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair has given a withering assessment of Meghan Markle, claiming she is “flawless about getting it all wrong”.
Tina Brown, who led the magazine from for eight years until 1992, is no stranger to ranting about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, having previously dubbed the couple as being “addicted to drama” and branding their exit from the royal family as a “disaster”.
You can read Ms Brown’s full verdict below:
Princess Diana biographer issues withering Meghan Markle verdict
Tina Brown previously accused Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as being ‘addicted to drama’
Meghan Markle could release ‘new memoir’ in next career move
Speculation is swirling around Meghan Markle’s potential next career move, with some royal experts suggesting she may release her own memoir.
Royal commentator Kinsey Schofield said she could make new revelations about her time in the Palace to “monetise her truth”.
He told Talk TV: “A part of me wonders if, similar to Jada Pinkett Smith, Meghan’s going to wait to reveal her truth until she finds a way to monetise it.
“Jada did that with her book, and Meghan has technically already done that with the Netflix series.”
Late Queen urged William and Harry to prioritise nation’s needs
Queen Elizabeth offered a crucial piece of advice to her grandsons, Princes William and Harry.
According to royal author Angela Levin, the late Queen, who passed away at 96, was increasingly troubled by what she perceived as a misalignment in their priorities.
Levin’s book, ‘Harry: Conversations with the Prince’, reveals that the Queen expressed her worries in a direct nine-word warning: the brothers must “think of the nation’s needs rather than their own.”
At the time, the Queen’s concerns were particularly focused on Harry's vision for his role within the family.
Mr Levin said that Duke of Sussex envisioned a life for the young royals that embraces a sense of “ordinary life,” suggesting that their familial obligations might sometimes take precedence over their commitments to the monarchy.
This perspective seemed at odds with the Queen's traditional views on royal responsibilities.
Insiders close to the royal family said that this was a serious concern for the Queen, who, while known for her stoic demeanour, felt the weight of her legacy and the institution she represented.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments