BREAKING NEWS: Andrew in talks to leave Royal Lodge – Emily Nash reacts
The Royal Editor on the latest development in the royal scandal, plus a very special video diary from the Vatican state visit
Hello Royal Clubbers, it’s Emily.
As this newsletter reaches you, Prince Andrew is said to be in advanced talks to leave Royal Lodge, which, in the eyes of the public, has become a symbol of undeserved luxury for a man so tainted by scandal.
Once the Prime Minister backed calls for an inquiry into his lease agreement with the Crown Estate for the 30-room mansion, as Sir Keir Starmer did earlier this week, it seemed inevitable that this would be the case.
For royal correspondents, myself included, it had appeared that the axe would fall on Thursday night, as rumours swirled of a development at Windsor, just as many of us were boarding flights back to London after covering the King and Queen’s state visit to the Vatican (on which more below).
Thankfully none materialised, preventing the monarch’s important trip from being blown off the news pages by the ongoing storm around his younger brother.
Nevertheless, it seems it’s just a matter of when, not if, the Prince formerly known as Duke of York packs up and ships out.
For although the King has long attempted to persuade his brother to leave, offering him Frogmore Cottage instead and cutting off his funding for the extra security required to protect him at Royal Lodge, it appears that the tide of public opinion may finally make it happen.
The optics of him living rent-free, in a 30-room mansion, despite his loss of status, titles and retreat from royal duties must be addressed by the royal family and the officials who signed off the lease agreement in the first place if they want to end the calls for more to be done.
The Palace can’t control what may emerge in the Epstein files, or indeed in accounts of the Prince’s decade as the UK Trade Envoy, it’s likely they don’t know the full extent of what they are dealing with. But they do need to act on the things they can control, to ensure the institution – and the royal family – comes through this unscathed.
My Vatican video diary
Before the Andrew news broke just now, my two-day trip to the Holy See was to be the main focus of The Royal Editor this week. It is a pleasure to be in Italy at any time, but particularly so to witness such a momentous occasion inside the Vatican. I really hope you enjoy my video diary in which I chronicle the trip, show all the best footage, and reveal my key takeaway. I’d love to know if you agree with me, so please do leave a comment.