Prince Andrew is one sneaky royal!
The estranged brother of King Charles III hired builders to renovate the Royal Lodge - a task that will prolong his stay at the elegant estate and further push away His Majesty's request for him to vacate the property.
Andrew was asked to move after Charles took the throne, as the former is no longer a senior member of the monarchy due to his sexual assault scandal.
"For now, Andrew has got one over his brother and we will see how long it lasts," a source revealed to a news publication on Monday, June 12. "Work started on the Royal Lodge this month and will extend to the end of the summer."
"Andrew was advised that he should move out while work was undertaken because the house is virtually a building site but he's refused because he's so terrified that the property might be seized in his absence," the insider noted of the Duke of York, who currently lives at the 30-room property with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson.
The 63-year-old is using cash inherited from his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, to pay for the much-needed renovations on the $46 million house - which the king's son Prince William, his wife Kate Middleton and their three children are desperate to move into.
"He's been quite open about where the money has come from because he doesn't want people to think he's come up with it through other means," the source noted of Andrew, who obtained a 75-year lease on the property after his mom passed in September 2022. "The costs are expected to reach into the hundreds of thousands of pounds."
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"William and Catherine have resigned themselves, for now, to staying in their small house, but it won't work in the long term," the source continued regarding the heir-to-the-throne's tinier home at Windsor.
"There are four bedrooms, which just about fits them all, but they need space for staff and for offices. They desperately want a larger property for their family in the Windsor area and discussions were originally focused on Royal Lodge," the insider explained. "But Andrew was having none of it and is adamant that he will see out that end of his lease at Royal Lodge."
"In the meantime, [Prince] Harry and Meghan [Markle] vacated Frogmore [Cottage] after being told they needed to leave to make way for Andrew but he is refusing to go there, even though he was given the keys," the confidante concluded, noting his and Sarah's daughter Princess Eugenie has settled into the house instead.
"He's allowing Eugenie to stay there. She's just given birth to her second child so while she recovers and gets back on her feet, she's staying in Frogmore to be near her mum and dad," they added.
Page Six spoke to a source about Andrew's renovations on the Royal Lodge.