Prince Andrew has continually made the headlines throughout 2024 due to his ongoing beef with King Charles. Following rumors that The King had financially cut off Andrew, the Prince was asked to move out of his home, Royal Lodge in Windsor. Now, a royal expert has asked why Andrew keeps inviting humiliation in the situation.
While speaking with OK! magazine (via The Sun), former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond asked, "I wonder why he is allowing himself to be so humiliated?"
Regarding Andrew's refusal to move out of Royal Lodge, Bond said, "He could live at Frogmore, which has enough room for [ex-wife Sarah Ferguson] and the rest of the family to visit when they want." Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, of course, made Frogmore Cottage their home, prior to moving to the United States, but now it's empty.
Discussing the benefits of Frogmore Cottage, Bond explained, "It is close to [Windsor Castle] and it would give him the chance to calm down relations with his brother, so what is stopping him?"
In Bond's opinion, Andrew is likely swayed by the perceived "status" that living in a 30-room mansion like Royal Lodge brings. "He is hung up on image and grandeur," she alleged.
Royal Lodge.
Bond also referenced the rumor that Queen Elizabeth actually planned to ask Andrew to move out of Royal Lodge prior to her death.
"I think the late Queen probably realized that it didn't look good to have a disgraced Prince living in a mansion for a peppercorn rent," Bond claimed. "Andrew was very much in awe of his mother and would have obeyed her if she had put her foot down and asked him to leave."
Instead, it was King Charles who asked Prince Andrew to leave the property, which appears to have created greater familial tensions.
"Charles' big squeeze on his brother has been a long time coming and his patience has run out," Bond told the outlet. "It is interesting that the Queen was apparently of a like mind."
Ultimately, Bond believes that King Charles is focused on public perception, which is why he wants Prince Andrew to move out of Royal Lodge.
"This is not just money," Bond explained. "[I]t is how it looks: an idle and disgraced Duke swanning around on his horse, watching aircraft taking off or landing on a big screen, and driving his Range Rover about his sizable estate with no visible means of income except what his mother, and now his big brother, choose to give him. It's not a good image."
