Prince Andrew eviction deadline set if he can’t find £2million for Royal Lodge repairs

has been given until the end of the year to prove that he has the financial resources to refurbish Royal Lodge or he will be evicted, Express.co.uk has learned.According to a well-placed source, the Duke of York, 64, has which outline that repairs must be made to the property in regular intervals otherwise they can pull the plug.The source adds that recent decision to pull all private funding for the property, including a 10-man security team that leaves this month, and to his brother personally, has sent the Duke “into a spin”.”Andrew has been asked to prove that he has the financial resources in place to conduct the necessary repairs to Royal Lodge,” said the source. “If he is unable to do that by the end of the year, formal discussions will be held with the Crown Estate about how best to move forward.”It’s the closest Andrew has come to being evicted since he was asked to step down as a working royal two years ago.”

has a lease with the Crown Estate to remain in the £30 million home until 2078.Under the terms of the lease, the Duke is under strict instructions about what he can and cannot do to the 30-room house.The agreement “requires that the character of the property be maintained as a Royal Park and forest”.The contract also requires the Prince to be responsible for the refurbishment costs in order to restore and upkeep the historic building.Royal Lodge is currently in a sad state of neglect – with paint peeling from the walls and moss growing on the exterior. Escalating repair costs are said to have already exceeded £2 million for necessary renovations needed on the property.

The lease includes clauses related to repainting the property’s external walls every five years with ‘two coats of paint’ from 2008 and redecorating inside every seven years from 2010.”The Duke has fallen behind on necessary repairs,” said the source. “He needs to prove to the Crown Estate that he has the funds to do this, or the intention of doing this, within the next few months or they could start eviction proceedings.”Royal Lodge, located in Windsor Great Park, has been a significant financial burden for since he signed a 75-year lease in 2003.A detailed report on the lease cites the investment made by Andrew as being £5million initially and £7.2million in the two years after he moved into the property.King Charles was said to be helping his brother financially in a personal capacity after he was asked to step down as a working royal following the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

Despite public money not being used since Andrew’s taxpayer-funded protection was revoked in 2022, private funding has come from various sources – including £3m annually from the King. That has now been revoked.The 75-year-old monarch ensured that no taxpayer money was used to cover the Duke of York’s security costs at Royal Lodge and this arrangement is set to continue after his private security team leaves the property this month.The King opted against renewing a £3 million a year 10-man security team stationed at ’s residence due to escalating costs prompting fresh speculation that Andrew may soon be forced to vacate the property.Express.co.uk revealed that Andrew’s decision to use has brought security costs down by close to £2 million a year, which will allow him to remain at the property for now. However, mounting costs remain a constant threat to the Duke’s stay in the property.

Contractors began renovating parts of Royal Lodge in June with scaffolding and skips erected within the grounds of ’s beloved property. However, sources say it wasn’t enough to satisfy the estate and disrepair remains. The Duke of York is said to have paid more than £200,000 for roof repairs on the royal mansion last summer – a sum which was described as an “interim payment”.Reports suggested last year that Andrew could be forced to permanently ‘downsize’ to Frogmore Cottage after and Meghan left and moved to the United States. However, sources stated that Andrew refused the offer.Buckingham Palace and the Crown Estate have been approached for comment.