Prince Andrew is enlisting the help of his son-in-law to give Royal Lodge a makeover after winning his battle with King Charles to be allowed to stay in the mansion, it was claimed last night.
Edo Mapelli Mozzi, an interior design expert married to Andrew’s daughter Princess Beatrice, is said by sources to be advising the beleaguered Duke of York on modernising the sprawling 30-room property.
Mr Mapelli Mozzi, 40, has been seen regularly visiting Royal Lodge in recent weeks, while a skip was spotted outside the front of the property towards the end of the summer.
It comes as the Mail on Sunday revealed last week how Andrew faces calls to ‘come clean’ and reveal the secret sources of funding that are bankrolling his stay at Royal Lodge.
The King stopped paying his brother’s £3 million-a-year security bill last month and urged him to move into more modest accommodation as part of a row dubbed ‘the siege of Royal Lodge’.
But Andrew has now been allowed to stay at the home in Windsor Great Park after convincing Palace officials that he has secured enough funds to support himself.
Recent pictures appear to show some of Royal Lodge’s outhouses in a state of disrepair, with large patches of paint peeling off the walls. The interiors are said to be cluttered with novelty teapots collected by Andrew’s wife Sarah Ferguson and gifts received by the Duke when he was a working Royal.
One source said: ‘They are redecorating somewhere that they can sit in and stay in – the guest parts.’
Prince Andrew is enlisting the help of his son-in-law to give Royal Lodge a makeover
Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, the home of Prince Andrew The Duke of York
Edo – who has a daughter, Sienna, with Beatrice and an older son, Wolfie, from a previous relationship with renowned architect Dara Huang – has a flare for home design.
He founded Banda, an interior design company, which helps ultra-rich business tycoons and tech titans resign their homes. The firm, which has 65 employees in London, has projects in New Delhi, Milan, the Alps, LA and the glitzy Hamptons near New York.
A mixture of modern and traditional, his company’s designs often combine marble with wood and contemporary lighting.
Edo and Beatrice, who is expecting their second child, have recently refurbished their Oxfordshire country house and installed grand new entrance gates.
He has also helped his mother Nikki, who is married to sculptor David Williams-Ellis, with redeveloping her country home in Oxfordshire.
Meanwhile, mystery still surrounds the financial arrangement that has allowed the Duke to stay in Royal Lodge.
Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi attend day 3 ‘St Patrick’s Thursday’ of the Cheltenham Festival in March
A source told the MoS that speculation that Andrew’s friend, the billionaire sports tycoon Johan Eliasch, may have provided financial support are wide off the mark.
Mr Eliash has not seen The Duke since they were pictured dining together at Harry’s Bar in Mayfair, Central London, in March.
He is understood to be keen to distance himself publicly from his old friend as he fears any negative publicity associated with Andrew could damage his bid to become President of the International Olympic Bid.
Mr Eliasch, president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, is one of seven candidates, including Lord Coe, to land the prestigious Olympics role.
A source close to Mr Eliasch said, ‘I don’t think Johan would be stupid enough to be involved. It’s too precarious, too nightmarish, why would he want to do it? He wants other things in life.’