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Royal Family Drama: Andrew’s Royal Lodge Saga Unfolds
The ongoing saga surrounding Prince Andrew continues to captivate headlines, with new allegations emerging about the internal struggles within the British Royal Family regarding his residence at Royal Lodge.
British journalist Emily Maitlis, renowned for her 2019 Newsnight interview with Andrew, shed light on the recent developments during a recent episode of “The News Agents” podcast. Maitlis claimed that media outlets were tipped off last week about an alleged plan for King Charles III to visit Royal Lodge following his trip to The Vatican, ostensibly to “read the riot act” to his brother.
According to Maitlis, while no cameras were expected to capture the private conversation, the intention was to photograph King Charles’ car in the vicinity of Royal Lodge, signifying the meeting. However, the alleged plan was reportedly canceled due to “out of control” media coverage, causing “Buckingham Palace to get very nervous.”
Further complicating matters, Maitlis alleged that Prince William intervened in the efforts to remove the former Duke of York from his home. She claimed that hours before the planned meeting between Charles and Andrew, Prince William encountered his cousins, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, and presented them with an ultimatum.
“You guys have got to get your dad to move out of Royal Lodge, otherwise we will start reexamining the state of your own titles,” Maitlis quoted William as telling his cousins, suggesting he applied “pressure” on both Beatrice and Eugenie to facilitate their father’s departure. This, Maitlis speculated, would appeal to Andrew’s paternal instincts to safeguard his daughters’ titles.
Us Weekly has reportedly sought comment from the Royal Family regarding these claims.
Questions about Andrew’s living situation have intensified after he announced earlier this month his decision to relinquish his royal titles. In a statement to Us Weekly on October 17, Andrew said, “In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family.
I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life.”
He continued, “With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honors which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
Andrew’s connections to the late convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein became public in 2019, when he was accused of sexual relations with Virginia Giuffre when she was underage. He has consistently and vehemently denied these accusations.
Days after Andrew’s announcement regarding his titles, Giuffre posthumously released a memoir detailing further allegations against Andrew and Epstein. Giuffre died by suicide at age 41 in April.