Mystery over where Prince Andrew got the funds to swerve eviction from Royal Lodge

The Duke of York has previously spent millions on renovating the Windsor property, and will be required to pay more under the terms of the lease he signed in 2006

Prince Andrew has found the necessary funds to stay at Royal Lodge, it has been confirmed, prompting questions about where the money came from.

The Prince, 64, has lived in the 30-room estate in Windsor Great Park residence since 2006, having taken over a lease agreement with the Crown Estate after his grandmother, the Queen Mother, died. While that contract isn't due to expire for more than 50 years - in 2078 - sources have said a "siege" began last month when King Charles III stopped paying for his brother's security as he tried to persuade him to move.

The King had reportedly asked his brother to consider moving to Frogmore Cottage, the former Windsor residence of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, to save the roughly £3 million he was paying for his security. He has been able to legitimately secure the funds needed to support himself, but the exact sources have not been confirmed.

The Prince previously served in the Royal Navy, making him eligible for an official pension, and he is no longer subsidised with public money. There have long been questions about the source of the Duke of York's wealth, and these have only intensified following the latest news.

Unlike other senior members of the family, the Duke does not receive money for participating in public duties, and his finances are scattered across multiple assets and sales. The Times reports that his home in Sunninghill Park, Ascot, was sold for £15 million nearly 20 years ago, back in 2007.

Sarah Ferguson, his ex-wife who lives with him at the Royal Lodge, reportedly accepted £15,000 from Jeffrey Epstein in 2010 she later described as a "gigantic error of judgment". In 2017, Bloomberg News reported that Andrew received a £1.5 million personal loan from Banque Havilland that was paid off just 11 days later by firms connected to multimillionaire David Rowland, a Conservative donor.

He and Ferguson also sold a ski chalet they owned on a resort in Verbier, Switzerland, in 2022, and Ferguson later purchased a plush £5 million property in Mayfair, London. Andrew Lownie, an author who is writing a joint biography of the Prince and his ex-wife, told The Times the Duke has "developed lucrative connections in Central Asia and the Middle East", and that "concerns" have arisen about how he used those contacts.

Staying at Royal Lodge will require Andrew to continue paying for the property's upkeep, with the lease he signed including a series of terms. They include requirements for him to abide by a "planned maintenance guide" that requires him to "repair, renew, uphold, clean" and keep the property "in repair" while also rebuilding where necessary. He previously spent £7.5 million on renovating the property, which boasts 30 rooms and 21 secluded areas.