Royal news - live: Prince Andrew ‘shoving two fingers up at King Charles’ over £30m Royal Lodge standoff
Monarch cut financial ties to disgraced Prince Andrew after he refused to move out of his home
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Your support makes all the difference.Tensions are continuing to build between Prince Andrew and King Charles over the duke’s residence at his 31-bedroom Windsor mansion.
Royal commentators have suggested Andrew is standing firm on his plans to remain in the £30m Royal Lodge, despite his brother making it increasingly difficult for him to live there and shocking images showing the house in a state of disrepair.
Royal author Christopher Wilson believes the duke is “digging his toes in” and “shoving up two fingers at” Charles as he continues to live at the former home of the late Queen Mother and King George VI.
“It’s dishonouring [the Queen Mother’s] memory. It’s shoving up two fingers at King Charles,” he told The Sun. “The state of his mind is reflected in the state of his home. It is falling all around him. He doesn’t care anymore.”
Recent photos showed black mould and huge cracks in the home, amid reports that King Charles withdrew his generous £1m annual “living allowance”.
Earlier this year, it was reported Andrew refused an offer to move into the nearby Frogmore Cottage, prompting the King to later axe the duke’s entire security team, meaning he had to either finance for them himself or leave the lodge entirely.
King Charles and William’s royal estates ‘earn millions from NHS, armed forces and state school rents’
Prince William hits back at critics over homelessness project
Inside the no-frills health retreat Charles and Camilla can’t keep away from
King ‘cuts financial ties to disgraced Prince Andrew after refusal to move out of home’
Charles and William’s royal estates ‘earn millions from NHS, armed forces and state school rents’
The King and the Prince of Wales’s private estates earn millions of pounds from rental deals with the armed forces, the NHS and state schools, it has been reported.
An investigation by Channel 4’s Dispatches and The Sunday Times examined the land and properties the two leading royals own through the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall.
The investigation reported that last year the Duchy of Lancaster agreed a deal to store a new fleet of electric ambulances, owned by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust in London, in one of the estate’s warehouses at a cost of £11.4m over 15 years.
Read the full story here:
Royal estates ‘to earn millions from NHS, armed forces and state school rents’
Channel 4’s Dispatches and the Sunday Times investigated the land and properties owned by the King and the Prince of Wales
Prince William hits back at critics over homelessness project
The Prince of Wales has hit back at critics over his homelessness project.
William responded to those questioning whether he is the right person to tackle the issue, given his privileged upbringing, in the first part of his new ITV documentary, Prince William: We Can End Homelessness.
William said: “I think everyone having a right to a safe home benefits us all.
“I come with no other agenda than desperately trying to help people who are in need and I see that as part of my role, why else would I be here if I am not using this role properly to influence and help people while I can.”
Prince Harry urged to ‘eat humble pie’ to heal family rift
Prince Harry has received a three-word ultimatum to repair his strained relationship with the royal family, according to royal commentator Rupert Bell.
Mr Bell suggested that the Duke of Sussex must “eat humble pie” after his brother, Prince William, extended an olive branch in his upcoming ITV documentary about homelessness, set to air tonight.
During a discussion with royal podcast host Kinsey Schofield on her YouTube channel, the royal expert claimed that it would be “odd” if William did not mention Harry in the context of the documentary.
Critics are debating whether any reference to Prince Harry represents a gesture of reconciliation from William, especially given their tense relations since Harry stepped down as a working royal in 2020.
Mr Bell said: “They looked after each other, and that’s what’s so sad about it.”
Meghan Markle rejected ‘golden opportunity’ in Hollywood
Meghan Markle reportedly turned down a “golden opportunity” that could have earned her millions, according to industry experts.
The Duchess of Sussex, who played Rachel Zane in the hit legal drama Suits from 2011 to 2019, previously earned nearly £40,000 per episode ($50,000) before stepping away from acting following her marriage to Prince Harry in 2018.
The show recently gained renewed popularity, amassing 57.7 billion minutes of viewership on Netflix last year, and is set to expand into a “major franchise” with its upcoming spin-off, Suits: LA.
But Hollywood insiders have criticised Meghan’s refusal to return for the new series, which was reportedly written with her in mind, suggesting that she may have missed a lucrative opportunity.
Media finance analyst Mike Raia said: “This could become the costliest decision of her life and one that she may bitterly regret in years to come.”
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.
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.
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