Prince Andrew may no longer be a working royal, and hasn’t been for some time; however, he certainly still lives like he once did. For years, the late Queen’s son has lived at Royal Lodge in Windsor with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, having signed the 75-year lease from the Crown Estate in August 2003.

However, despite calls from his brother, King Charles, 76, for Andrew to move out and relocate to a smaller royal home, the Duke of York is staying put at the 30-bed mansion. Despite the monarch slashing his security funding, Andrew, 65, seems to be as determined as ever to stay at the home, reportedly paying for his own cheaper security team and choosing to take on the responsibility of the property’s maintenance from his own wallet.

While many may question why Andrew simply won’t budge, a property expert told GB News that there is a reason why the duke does not want to move to one of the smaller properties offered to him by the King, including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s former Windsor home, Frogmore Cottage.

Property buying agent Robin Edwards from Curetons told GB News: “He (Andrew) has refused to leave his lavish mansion and move to the significantly smaller Frogmore Cottage, believing it to be not grand enough for him.”

However, while Frogmore may not be deemed by Andrew as good enough, his determination to stay at Royal Lodge – a home once much-loved by the late Queen – will certainly come at a price.

This is because the 75-year lease from the Crown Estate in August 2003 requires Andrew to fund refurbishments personally.

It has previously been reported that the mansion requires extensive works, including paintwork and internal work, with some of these having been started last year.

Edwards said: “Even back in September 2002 that (maintenance work) was very conservatively estimated at at least £7.5 million excluding tax.”

He told the People’s Channel: “The costs are likely to have grown significantly since then with time and inflation.”

The discussions over the future of Royal Lodge does not seem to have affected the relationship between the King and Prince Andrew massively, with Andrew having made a surprise royal appearance in April at the Easter Sunday service in Windsor just weeks ago.

He was accompanied by his ex wife Sarah Ferguson, who he still lives with at Royal Lodge – a stone’s throw away from Windsor Castle.