Deluded Andrew’s 11-word ‘Queen’s second son’ rant as he was booted out of Royal Lodge
In what was dubbed the siege of Royal Lodge, Andrew faced growing pressure to give up his 30-room mansion after it emerged last year he had been paying a “peppercorn” rent for decades
Andrew was said to be the late Queen’s favourite son(Image: Getty Images)
A deluded Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor tried to halt his eviction from Royal Lodge by whinging: “I’m the Queen’s second son, you can’t do this to me.”
The shamed ex-prince’s rant came as he was booted out from his Windsor mansion after months of tense talks to ease out him and ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, dubbed the Siege of Royal Lodge. Andrew is thought to have been the late Queen Elizabeth II’s favourite son.
But insiders were stunned when he used her name in his defence during the row, which rumbled on after he was stripped of his royal titles over his links to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
A source told the Sun: “He refused to leave or take any responsibility. When he was told to get out he was so arrogant and deluded he repeatedly shouted, ‘But I’m the Queen’s second son, you can’t do this to me’.
“It is extraordinary he chose to use the Queen’s name in his defence. No one is quite sure if the reality of his dire situation has hit home even yet.” Another insider admitted the talks were tense as Andrew made it clear he “did not want to leave”, the paper reported.
Andrew faced growing pressure to give up his 30-room mansion after it emerged last year he had been paying a “peppercorn” rent for decades.
He finally agreed to quit the property in Windsor Great Park, Berkshire, for a new home on the King’s private Sandringham estate in the New Year, with Charles personally funding him with an annual stipend.
The secluded 19th century Grade II-listed Royal Lodge is nestled in 98 acres of private land. From 1815, it was used by Prince Regent, later George IV, as a hunting lodge. King William IV had it almost completely demolished and rebuilt in 1830.
By 1840 it was used as grace-and-favour accommodation for senior members of the royal household.
In the 1930s, it became the country retreat of Andrew’s grandparents, the Queen Mother and King George VI, when they were the Duke and Duchess of York, and their children Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret learned to swim in its pool as youngsters.
Part of the Crown Estate, it remained the Queen Mother’s favourite Windsor residence for 50 years, and she died there in 2002.
Andrew then took over the home, using it as his main residence for more than 20 years, with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson also later moving in.
It was previously a distinctive Windsor pink but after Andrew signed a 75-year lease in 2003, he began refurbishments, including painting it white.
A copy of the leasehold agreement revealed he paid £1 million for the lease and that since then, he paid just “one peppercorn” of rent “if demanded” per year.
Andrew was arrested on Thursday, his 66th birthday, on suspicion of misconduct in a public office, related to his time as UK trade envoy from 2001 to 2011.
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