Lunch with billionaire pal and private security… how ‘arrogant’ Prince Andrew is clinging on to life of royal luxury
HE was dethroned as a working royal following his calamitous Newsnight interview, but Prince Andrew is still reaping the rewards of royal life.
The Duke of York has caused fresh controversy after using a royal Range Rover equipped with blue emergency lights – despite being stripped of his police protection.
When driving around Windsor or attending lavish lunches with pals at Harry’s Bar, an exclusive member’s club in Mayfair, London, the disgraced prince has been seen using the £100,000 4×4 vehicle.
On these trips, he is often accompanied by private security travelling in a £60,000 Land Rover Discovery fitted with emergency blue lights – prompting questions from Scotland Yard over his ‘special treatment’, according to the Mail.
After settling a sexual abuse case with accuser Virginia Giuffre in 2022, the 64-year-old was stripped of his public roles and tax payer-funded Metropolitan Police protection.
His armed protection police – said to have cost £3million a year – were replaced by private security officers, with reports suggesting King Charles may have to personally foot the bill.
The duke, who was removed from public duties due to his association with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, is said to have dug his heels in over plans to further cut his privileges, which include moving out of the Royal Lodge in Windsor.
And royals experts say he has stubbornly clung on to his HRH title, which he is allowed to use in private, while hobnobbing with rich pals like billionaire Johan Eliasch, who he was spotted with at Harry’s Bar last month ahead of the release of Netflix drama Scoop.
Nigel Cawthorne, author of Prince Andrew, Maxwell, Epstein and the Palace, told The Sun: “He is no longer a serving royal but is still privately enjoying the perks of one, which is naturally causing public outrage.
“Until recently he hasn’t really been seen other than horse riding at Windsor Great Park, so he’s still got the privilege of having horses too.
“He’s also got his own little golf course down there and his magnificent 30-room mansion. He must bounce around in there with Fergie. That’s a very comfortable lifestyle.
“He must have staff sweeping up after him there and arranging his teddy bears for him.”
In 2003, Andrew signed a 75-year lease for the Royal Lodge and lives there with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.
King Charles reportedly wants his younger brother to move out of the ‘magnificent’ mansion and into Frogmore Cottage, which is more modest – although the plans appear to have been quietly shelved.
“Charles seems to have stopped trying to send him to live in Frogmore Cottage,” explains Nigel. “Which would be far more suitable.
“It was quite a thing at one point but it’s all gone quiet. Someone’s got to live in Royal Lodge, unless they turn it into a boutique hotel.
“But the Royal Family just want the Andrew saga to go away. By making him move it just brings Andrew back into the press again, which isn’t really going to help Charles or anyone.”
£250k annual allowance
The monarch’s wish for Andrew to downsize came last year alongside plans to cut his £250,000 annual allowance, which had been previously provided by the late Queen Elizabeth.
Without his hefty allowance, Andrew is reportedly unable to afford the upkeep of the 98-acre estate, where required works cost around £2 million.
“It’s going to be difficult for him,” explains Nigel.
“He’s used to living a luxury, all-expenses lifestyle – as is Fergie who still enjoys the privilege of living in the Royal Lodge, she’s not in a bedsit by an electric fire and a cat, she’s very comfortable too.
“They don’t have to pay any rent which is a big help but I’m sure there’s a local Lidl they can pop down to if times get hard.
“Apart from his £20,000 annual navy pension he doesn’t have much of an income and lives behest to his brother, who I’m sure won’t let him starve – and he’s got some very rich friends, lunch at Harry’s Bar can’t come cheap.”
Wealthy pals
Nigel tells how Prince Andrew has a long history of “rubbing shoulders” with wealthy pals who have allowed him to continually enjoy living the high life.
He says: “Apart from Epstein pandering to him, there’s David Rowland, who had resigned as Tory party treasurer after misgivings about his aggressive tactics.
“He’s the founder of the Luxembourg-based private bank Banque Havilland which gave Andrew a £1.5 million personal loan in 2017.
The Royal Family just want the Andrew saga to go away. By making him move it just brings Andrew back into the press again
Nigel Cawthorne
“In 2001, Andrew was photographed on board a yacht owned by Swedish millionaire Johan Eliasch surrounded by topless beauties.
“Then there’s Kazakh oligarch Timur Kulibayev who bought Sunninghill Park for £3million over the asking price.”
Last month, billionaire sports tycoon Johan Eliasch and Andrew were pictured leaving Harry’s Bar in Mayfair, fuelling speculation the cash-strapped prince was contemplating a fresh business venture.
Meanwhile, it was reported earlier this month that Sunninghill Park has remained empty since undergoing a multi-million pound rebuild two years ago, with neighbours describing the site as an “eye sore”.
Stripped of military titles and royal
Andrew reportedly still uses his HRH title after the late Queen gave him permission to use it in a “private capacity” after he was stripped of his military titles and royal patronages.
“He doesn’t give things up lightly as we’ve seen from his past behaviour,” continues Nigel. “He’s rather an arrogant soul, he’s not going to miss any opportunity to use the HRH title.
“After all, it’s the only thing he’s got now. He hasn’t got any credibility in any other way, it must be a really empty life to be part of the royal family and not be able to get out and cut ribbons, plant trees and put plaques up. All that exciting stuff the working royals do.”
He’s an arrogant soul, he’s not going to miss any opportunity to use his HRH title
Nigel Cawthorne
The pampered Prince still owns a fleet of expensive cars, including a £80,000 Range Rover Sport Phev which he purchased in December 2022, although he hasn’t been spotted in it much since.
Despite being stripped of his royal patronages earlier that year, the green hybrid has tinted windows and a private number plate based on the duke’s royal title.
Fleet of cars
He also reportedly owns three ‘Chelsea tractors’ which have personalised number plates and a Bentley.
In 2021, he was spotted taking these three SUVs in convoy from Windsor to Scotland for a holiday in Balmoral.
“Other than that trip he doesn’t seem to be travelling much at the moment,” continues Nigel.
“He used to be known as Air Miles Andy but I’m not sure there’s many countries that want to see him.”
'There is no way back'
Prince Andrew’s reputation is damaged beyond repair and he will never be able to engineer a return to public life, according to one of Britain’s top PR gurus.
Brand and culture expert Nick Ede, who runs East of Eden PR agency, called the shamed royal “deluded” for thinking he could ever return to royal duties and urged him to give up and ‘enjoy his life’ in exile.
It follows the release of Scoop – a Netflix movie based on the 2019 interview he gave to Newsnight.
Nick said: “There is no way back for him.
“I think you know this perpetual idea that he could still be back. Nobody cares. He hasn’t got fans.
“There’s nobody out there who’s going ‘We want to see Prince Andrew’, not one single person. I think he has to realise that. But I think it’s going to take a long, long time for him to actually understand. It’s very deluded.
“In my opinion, the best thing that he could do is just enjoy his life. He’s got gorgeous daughters. He has a great relationship with Fergie, he has a lovely house.
“Just live a quiet life.”
Reflecting on the interview five years ago – the fallout of which saw Andrew step back from royal duties “for the foreseeable future” – Nick compared the fallout to Frost vs Nixon and said he would have urged him not to do it.
He said: “If I had been advising him, I would say, go quiet, be quiet, just go to ground. You know you’re a prince. Enjoy the life that you lead, but do not open this can of worms, because that’s what it is.
“There was no admission that a relationship with somebody like Epstein was terribly toxic. There was no idea that there were loads of victims of trafficking whose lives were completely ruined by Epstein. He didn’t seem to think that the association he had with that man was anything but positive.
“I think his worst gaffe was obviously being in that interview and agreeing to it in the first place, for not realising that he’s actually going to be interviewed by a very, very good journalist who is going to ask him questions which he might not like.
“But I think what this has done is really shown how archaic Prince Andrew is in his opinions and thoughts.
“Read the room. He’s never read a room at all.”