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Royal Lodge has become a major source of contention for the royal family.
Prince Andrew had a rock-solid lease that allowed him to remain in the Windsor mansion until 2078.
However, following public outcry over Andrew’s links to convicted sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein, King Charles is taking formal steps to strip his brother of his titles and has served him an eviction notice.
Here, WHO takes you inside the home the royal family is fighting over…
Who currently lives in Royal Lodge?
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, as he is now to be known, took up residence at Royal Lodge in 2003.
The then Prince and Duke of York moved in with a 75-year lease; however, King Charles took steps to evict him in 2025.
His ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, has shared the mansion since she moved into the 30-room manor in 2008 and will now also have to move.
In 2018, Andrew and Sarah’s youngest daughter, Princess Eugenie, held her wedding reception at the Royal Lodge.
It was also the site where Meghan Markle first met Queen Elizabeth after she and Prince Harry headed to Royal Lodge to have lunch with the Yorks.
How much did Prince Andrew pay for Royal Lodge?
Andrew leased Royal Lodge from the Crown Estate for a £1m one-off payment when he first moved in.
He spent around £7.5m renovating the property in 2005.
His rental agreement is an arrangement known as a “peppercorn lease”.
This is a symbolic term which means rent is only due when requested from the Crown Estate and that fee, when demanded, consists of “a peppercorn.”
Extensive work is currently needed to repair the roof, which it is understood Andrew was struggling to pay.
How big is Royal Lodge?
Built in the mid-1600s, the Royal Lodge is located a few kilometres south of Windsor Castle on the Windsor Estate.
The grounds surrounding the Grade II listed mansion are vast, extending to 98 acres.
The property has 30 rooms, which include seven bedrooms spread across the two top floors.
It also has a large drawing room, a saloon and a conservatory.
There is also a small cottage, Y Bwthyn Bach, on the grounds, which was gifted to Princess Elizabeth as a child by the people of Wales in 1932.
It’s equipped with electricity, a working kitchen and telephone, as well as a bedroom upstairs.
Used as an elaborate cubby house, it has provided hours of enjoyment for several generations of royal children.
The home is also right next to Forest Lodge, which the Prince and Princess of Wales are about to move in to.
Who previously lived at Royal Lodge?
The previous Duke and Duchess of York, who later were crowned King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, moved into Royal Lodge around 1932.
That Queen Elizabeth later became known as the Queen Mum when her own daughter, Elizabeth II, was crowned.
The couple lived on the estate with their young daughter, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, until 1936 when their father ascended to the throne following the abdication of King Edward VIII.
When King George died in 1952, The Queen Mum began using Royal Lodge as her country home, visiting almost every weekend.
She died peacefully in her sleep at the home in 2002 at the age of 101.
