Prince Andrew has reportedly been granted permission to remain living at his Royal Lodge after he agreed with King Charles to fork out repairs of around £2 million (3.8m AUD).
The Duke of York is said to have already spent £200,000 on roof repairs as an “interim payment” and must be able to fund the rest of the works to stay there.
A friend of the scandal-hit royal told The Mirror Andrew and his brother have had a “cooling of relations” of late.
Andrew, 63, has been living at the grand house near Windsor Castle, outside London, since 2003, with his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, also 63, after the Duke signed a 74-year lease on the 30-room property.
But as part of King Charles’ apparent cost-cutting measures the pair were set to be moved into Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’s old home of Frogmore Cottage.
However, Insiders told Page Six that the move was put on the “back burner” while Sarah recovered from her eight-hour mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
A friend of the duchess – who has daughters Princess Beatrice, 35, and Princess Eugenie, 33, with Andrew said at the time: “She is resting at home. It was major surgery.
“She’s had lots of support, both her daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, are being very supportive, as is Andrew.”
Eugenie is currently living in Frogmore with her husband, Jack Brooksbank, 37, their son August, two, and their newborn son Ernest.
Andrew was left disgraced and without any official duties or income after paying a multimillion-dollar settlement to Jeffrey Epstein’s trafficking victim Virginia Giuffre, 39.
It had been reported that he does not appear to have enough income to cover the combined rent and upkeep of the home, which is owned by the Crown Estate.
But a royal source told Page Six: “Charles is not chucking Andrew out, but Andrew will have to find the money to look after the property himself – and where is that coming from?”