'Lazy' Prince Andrew 'allowing himself to be humiliated' but could change things with simple move

The challenges The Duke of York has faced during the past five years have been well-documented - with his apparent determination to stay at his Royal Lodge home in Windsor being the latest bone of contention. In line with King Charles' plans to downsize the monarchy, Prince Andrew was offered a move from his mansion to the slightly smaller Frogmore Cottage, which was recently refurbished by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

And, after claims that Queen Elizabeth II was also considering following a similar path as King Charles and having her second son move out of Royal Lodge, a leading royal expert has questioned why the Duke is "allowing himself to be so humiliated". Speaking exclusively to OK!, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond asks: "I wonder why he is allowing himself to be so humiliated?”

She continues: “He could live at Frogmore, which has enough room for Fergie and the rest of the family to visit when they want. It is close to the castle and it would give him the chance to calm down relations with his brother, so what is stopping him? Status. He is hung up on image and grandeur."

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While Royal Lodge has a rich and fascinating history, much of which is tied to the life of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, recent pictures highlighted the home's state of disrepair, something which Jennie says will have made the late monarch consider other possibilities. "I think the late Queen probably realised that it didn't look good to have a disgraced Prince living in a mansion for a peppercorn rent. Andrew was very much in awe of his mother and would have obeyed her if she had put her foot down and asked him to leave. Charles’s big squeeze on his brother has been a long time coming and his patience has run out. It is interesting that the Queen was apparently of a like mind."

Reflecting on how the ongoing debate looks to the public after Prince Andrew's very public fall from grace, Jennie adds: “This is not just money, it is how it looks: an idle and disgraced Duke swanning around on his horse, watching aircraft taking off or landing on a big screen and driving his Range Rover about his sizeable estate with no visible means of income except what his mother, and now his big brother, choose to give him. It’s not a good image."

It has often been reported that the plan was to have the Duke move from Royal Lodge and relocate a short distance away to Frogmore Cottage which was vacated by Prince Harry and Meghan after they gave it a £2.4 million renovation.

“Charles has given him plenty of time and a very generous option to move into Frogmore cottage which is within the security cordon and has recently had an expensive makeover," Jennie says. "Yes, that‘s just the cost of the renovation, far far more than most people dream of having in their entire lifetime. And yet he seems to think it is beneath him.

“What’s the answer? Earn his living - but the reputation of the monarchy is at stake and Andrew has shown profound lack of judgement, at the very least, over his friendship with the convicted late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Can he be trusted to show any judgement over the kind of work he might undertake to provide an income?"

Since 2004, Andrew has resided at Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate, which he now shares with his former wife Sarah Ferguson. Before he moved in, it was a much-loved retreat for Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.

King George VI's widow made several additions to the property and it also features a mini cottage or Wendy house called Y Bwthyn Bach, which was gifted to the late Queen - then Princess Elizabeth - in 1932. Even after the King died in 1952, it was still used as a grace and favour home by the Queen Mother up until she died there in March 2002, with the late Queen by her side.

Following the Queen Mother's death, Royal Lodge was leased to Prince Andrew. Along with the main house, the lease included the Gardener's Cottage, the Chapel Lodge, six Lodge Cottages, police security accommodation and a whopping 40 hectares of land.