Prince Andrew is reportedly in talks with the King’s representatives to leave his home at the Royal Lodge.
Buckingham Palace is said to be ‘cranking up the pressure’ on trying to get the prince to leave the Grade II listed mansion in Windsor, which he can’t be kicked out of over ‘cast iron’ lease.
The Telegraph has reported that while the Prince is ‘resistant’ to leave the home, discussions are ongoing to have him moved out after people were left furious to find out he hasn’t actually paid any rent there for 22 years.
It comes after a week of intense pressure on the Crown, after he gave up his remaining titles following the publication of Virginia Giuffre’s memoirs.
Rumours began swirling last night of a ‘big announcement’ after members of the media rushed to Windsor.
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Veteran journalist Emily Maitlis posted on X: ‘We may be expecting news from the Windsor estate later this evening, where TV crews have been told to expect passing traffic.’
She later added: ‘Crews have now been pulled and stood down. Very confusing.’
Yesterday, Prince Andrew saw his coat of arms torn down from Windsor Castle amid fresh allegations about his relationships with billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and sex abuse victim Giuffre.
His coat of arms features the three lions of England and an anchor for his naval career, but it can no longer be seen next to Prince William’s banner in St George’s Chapel.
The unceremonious removal of a coat of arms is usually reserved for serious cases of high treason or taking up arms against the Crown.
In a statement released by Buckingham Palace just a week ago, Andrew said the decision was made after a discussion with the King and his immediate and wider family.
‘I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life,’ he said.
‘With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.’
What does Giuffre’s new book say?
Titled ‘Nobody’s Girl,’ the bombshell book contains ‘intimate and disturbing’ details of her time with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’, as well as many of their friends – including Queen Elizabeth’s second son.
In the book, she called Prince Andrew ‘entitled’ and claimed he thought having sex with her was his ‘birthright’.
Virginia, who died in April aged 41, made the revelations in ‘Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice’, which she finished writing before her death.
Within the 400-page book, she also says the Duke of York said ‘thank you’ in a ‘clipped British accent’ after having sex with her.
Ghislaine Maxwell also allegedly praised her after, saying: ‘You did well, the Prince had fun.’
Ms Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, alleged she was forced to have sex three times with Andrew, which he vehemently denies, including when she was 17 and also during an orgy, after she was trafficked by Epstein.
He previously spent millions settling a civil sexual assault case with her in 2022, without admitting liability.
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