King Charles Reportedly Wants to Evict His Brother Prince Andrew

Prince William may very well be a king in his castle one day—but currently, he and his family are stuck living in a relatively cramped home (by royal standards, anyway). William and wife Kate Middleton’s current headquarters, Adelaide Cottage, has just four bedrooms: a primary suite and presumably one room for each kid. The poor prince can’t even afford room to have live-in staff, let alone an overnight visitor.

There’s long been a royal rumor that William and his family may have their eyes on the much larger Royal Lodge, a 30-room mansion more fitting for a future king. The only problem? It’s currently occupied by the disgraced Prince Andrew, who, according to the British tabloids, is playing a game of real estate chicken with his brother King Charles to evade eviction.

Unlike official residences (Buckingham and Kensington palaces) or the family’s privately owned properties (like Balmoral), Royal Lodge is owned by the Crown Estate, a semiautonomous real estate corporation. While King Charles financially benefits from the company and technically “owns” it, he doesn’t have any legal control over its operations. Still, according to The Daily Mail, it’s believed Charles would like nothing more than to see his brother evicted from the property that his grandmother the Queen Mother called home for 50 years before her death, in 2002.

The home, however, is in need of serious renovations, and the story goes that Charles felt Andrew, who stepped down and was cut off from the royal purse in 2020 after being named as a defendant in a sexual abuse lawsuit, couldn’t pony up the cash. The long-term feud between Charles and Andrew makes William and Harry’s current fight look like child’s play. However, Andrew has now received his inheritance after his mother’s death and is pouring money into the home in a bid to stay. In fact, according to the Mail, he’s afraid to move out to make construction easier for fear he could somehow be evicted.

“It's become farcical,” a sourced told the tabloid. “Andrew has roof repairs scheduled later this summer which will take several months to complete and has been advised that staying in the house during those renovations could prove problematic. But he is reluctant to leave.”

Charles, however, would instead rather have his brother live in the much more quaint Frogmore Cottage (another Crown Estate property), the humble abode that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle once called home (technically, Harry still has the lease to the place, but it’s reported that his cousin Princess Eugenie is currently staying there).

“For now, Andrew has got one over his brother and we will see how long it lasts,” another source tell Page Six.

As for William and Kate, the family retains control of the 20-room Apartment 1A in Kensington Palace in London, and the prince’s offices are still run out of the residency. However, they made Adelaide Cottage their primary residence last summer, desiring to raise their children outside of London. They also make use of a much larger country home, Anmer Hall, located farther away in Norfolk.

Alas, even if Andrew does one day leave Royal Lodge, there’s no guarantee they’ll automatically get the keys. The Crown Estate could end up leasing it to a non-royal if that could get more money.