King pushes Andrew closer to the exit at Royal Lodge

The King appears to be stepping up the pressure on the Duke of York to leave the Royal Lodge after opting against ­renewing the deal with the private security guards who provide protection at the residence.
Charles, 75, has told the ten-strong team guarding his brother that their services are no longer required after their contract expires this autumn, ­according to The Sun on Sunday.
No replacement detail is thought to have been lined up.
Charles and Prince Andrew are spending the weekend together at Balmoral in Aberdeenshire, where it is ­expected to be a hot topic of conversation amid growing resentment.
The situation has become so tense that royal watchers have begun ­describing it as “the siege of Royal Lodge”.
Buckingham Palace declined to ­comment on the issue.
It is no secret that Andrew has come under increasing pressure to vacate the 31-room residence in Windsor Great Park, where security is estimated to cost Charles about £3 million per year.
Andrew, 64, has the lease on the sprawling Royal Lodge, outside ­Windsor, but the King meets the security costs privately.
He has made it clear that he is no longer willing to continue to fund his younger brother’s lifestyle in the ­residence that was home to the Queen Mother until her death in 2002.
A palace insider told the newspaper: “Everyone is speculating this means the duke will have to leave the Royal Lodge because what other reason could there be to take his security away?
“They are all working the final weeks of their contract till the end of October. It is not thought anyone is being lined up to replace them. The King wants him out.”
The preference is for Andrew to move into Frogmore Cottage, about three miles north of the Royal Lodge, where his static security around the home would be covered as it is within the Windsor security perimeter.
In May one well-placed source told The Times that the former home of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex was being promoted as the best future home for Andrew.
“The King’s kindness is not without limit and there is a very good option for Andrew to move into Frogmore ­Cottage, recently vacated by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, which also has the benefit of being within the Windsor Castle security cordon hence reducing the need for alternative round-the-clock security for Royal Lodge,” the source said.
They indicated that Andrew was likely to face greater encouragement to make the move over time.
“He is taking longer than desirable to recognise the reality of the situation, even though it is clearly the most ­sensible course of action,” they said.
“If he doesn’t agree to move to a property better suited to his needs, then the King may have to reconsider the levels of support he is willing to provide.”
If Andrew does leave the lodge then it is unclear what it would be used for.
Royal Lodge is not a grace and favour residence but is let under a commercial lease agreement with the Crown Estate after Andrew paid an initial £1 million with a notional rent understood to be £260,000 a year.
If the duke dies, the 75-year lease can only pass to named members of his ­immediate family.Andrew moved in the year after his grandmother, the Queen Mother, died aged 101, and spent nearly £7 million on repairs and renovations.