After acquiring Balmoral for £32,000 in 1852 (equivalent to £5 million today), Queen Victoria famously described the Aberdeenshire estate as her “dear paradise in the Highlands.” This cherished Scottish retreat was so beloved by the late Queen Elizabeth II that she chose to spend her final days there. Now, King Charles and Queen Camilla are spending their summer holiday at Balmoral, with Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, among their first guests. However, reports suggest that not all is well in this “paradise.”
While the royal family enjoys their usual activities—grouse shooting, salmon fishing, and picnicking in what Princess Eugenie has called “the most beautiful place on earth”—there is reportedly an uncomfortable issue that Prince Andrew and Sarah must address with the King: the apparent campaign to remove them from Royal Lodge. The property has been their family home in Windsor Great Park since they secured a 75-year lease in 2003 for £1 million.
Despite Royal Lodge being owned by the independent Crown Estate and not by the King himself, reports indicate that King Charles may be pressuring Andrew and Sarah to vacate. A recent move by the monarch to lay off Royal Lodge’s ten-strong security team has fueled speculation that this is a strategic effort to force them out. King Charles has been privately funding security at the 31-room mansion since Andrew’s £3 million-a-year armed protection officers were withdrawn in 2022 following his step back from royal duties after the controversial BBC Newsnight interview concerning his association with Jeffrey Epstein.
An insider noted that the King’s plan to remove Andrew’s security suggests that he wants Andrew to leave Royal Lodge, as there seems to be no intention of replacing the security team once their contracts end in October. Friends of the Duke and Duchess of York, however, are reportedly puzzled by this move, as they had always considered Royal Lodge their “forever home,” one they intended to pass on to their daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
Given the Crown Estate’s stance that the property should remain under royal occupancy and the ongoing support the King receives from the Sovereign Grant and the Duchy of Lancaster, some question the financial motive behind this alleged campaign. There is speculation among friends of the Yorks that King Charles might envision Royal Lodge as a future home for Queen Camilla, should she outlive him.
Amidst this speculation, some argue that King Charles should be focusing less on his brother Andrew and more on addressing issues related to his younger son, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle. Unlike Andrew, who has remained publicly loyal despite his troubles, Harry and Meghan have openly criticized the monarchy. Concerns have been raised that if tensions with Andrew escalate, he and Sarah might follow Harry and Meghan’s path of publicly criticizing the royal family.
Some suggest that the King should maintain the status quo by covering Royal Lodge’s security costs and allowing Andrew to stay, rather than getting entangled in this dispute. At the same time, they propose that both Andrew and Harry should be stripped of their roles as Counsellors of State and removed from the line of succession to protect the future of the monarchy.
