PICTURED: PRINCE ANDREW'S CRUMBLING 'NEGLECTED' ROYAL LODGE

Andrew has lived in the Royal Lodge for 20 years and signed a 75-year lease on it

Photos have emerged showing Prince Andrew's crumbling home where the out-of-favour duke is staying despite not being able to afford its £400,000-a-year upkeep costs.

The pictures show Royal Lodge, where the Duke of York has lived for two decades, with its iconic white paint crumbling away from the walls, and dirt marks staining the facade and worsening cracks in the brickwork.

It comes months after he refused to leave property, which has 30 rooms and is though to be worth £30million, and promised King Charles he would take care of its expensive repairs - despite having no apparent source of income.

It was reported that Andrew, who was forced to quit royal duties over the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, was told he would have to leave the property before being granted 'a stay of execution'.

Part of the terms of this alleged deal with his older brother was that he would carry out repair works on the 19th century, Grade II-listed property, but this appear not to have been done as of yet.

A source told The Mirror that Andrew has a 'clear responsibility' for the upkeep and maintainance of the estate, but this 'is certainly not happening'.

'The state of the residence will be of great concern to the King after everything that has gone on and been discussed in regards to the house' they said.

'Prince Andrew was told he must take charge of the necessary renovations or he will have no cause to stay in the house.'

Andrew has lived in the home for 20 years, and signed a 75-year lease on it after agreeing to maintain it and paying £250-a-week.

Sources close to the Duke said back in January: 'Andrew is going nowhere. He has a cast iron lease.'

The Mail revealed last year that the King intended to evict his brother from the mansion on the Windsor estate and move him to a more modest property.

Frogmore Cottage, which was previously occupied by Prince Harry and Meghan, was suggested as a possible alternative, but Andrew reportedly saw this as a 'demotion' too far.

Amid the quarrel over his property, one of Andrew's friends described how there had been a 'cooling of relations' between him and the King.

Charles then held out an 'olive branch' to his brother by inviting him to Balmoral over the summer along with Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York.

The brothers are said to have engaged in crisis talks during a family gathering there late last August, during which time the issue of Andrew's tenancy was thrashed out.

Royal Lodge has seven bedrooms across the two top floors and Andrew shares the lavish mansion with just his ex-wife Sarah.

The mansion is in desperate need of repairs on top of the £200,000 roof maintenance Andrew has already paid for, including work to solve a damp problem throughout the property.

Andrew took over the house from the late Queen Mother on a long-term lease and has ploughed up to £7million of his own fortune into renovations.

In 2022, Andrew paid a reported £12million settlement to Virginia Giuffre, halting a civil trial in the US, after she said he sexually assaulted her when she was 17. He strongly denies the claims.

The King's younger brother was stripped of royal duties and use of his HRH title by the late Queen, but is still able to attend family events, such as the Christmas Day church service at Sandringham, in a private capacity.

Buckingham Palace has been contacted for comment.

2024-05-05T13:27:24Z dg43tfdfdgfd