The uproar over the benefits of non-working members of the royal family was reignited after a new report on care homes by the National Audit Office was published on Friday.
While it was initially believed that non-working royals paid market rent for their grace and favor houses, the report shed light on how they subsidized housing conditions.
Furthermore, it was the revelation about Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie’s household that caused quite a stir, suggesting that a “scandalous” deal had been struck between Andrew and the king.
King Charles officially ousted his disgraced brother from royal gold last October. In the months leading up to the historic decision, Andrew would not budge from his position and was also unwilling to give up the huge Windsor mansion, Royal Lodge.
It was believed that Andrew was willing to give up everything for one key demand, but it was unknown what that might have been. Author and royal historian Andrew Lownie believes it was Beatrice and Eugenie’s assured future in the royal family.
“Andrew didn’t need to leave Royal Lodge,” Lownie explained. “He had held his ground for several months before.” Then “a game changer” occurred during his private meeting with the King.
“Perhaps an agreement was reached: ‘take care of my daughters and I will fall on my sword.’”
“It’s extraordinary. The King will say, ‘Well, I can house my family however I want,'” he continued. “But I think you just have to be aware of the optics of using this money, because there is a lot of debate about whether this money belongs to the treasury or to the family itself.”
