Prince Andrew's home crumbling in new eerie photos - but he still won't leave

Prince Andrew's home appears to be crumbling in new eerie photos - but the Duke of York still won't leave.

Sources claim the Duke is refusing to vacate the Royal Lodge after becoming a prisoner of his own property.

It's been reported The King is not willing to continue to fund his brother's lifestyle, but the 64-year-old is understood to have refused to accept his brother's offer to move to Frogmore Cottage, just five miles away.

Frogmore is the former home of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle before they left the UK for a new life in the US, reports the Mirror.

Now, photographs show Royal Lodge, capturing its tired and crumbling walls. Moss is seen on the structure and paint is peeling away. Scaffolding has been seen at the front of the property, where a skip full of rubble was also spotted.

The site of homes since the 17th century, the present structure dates from the 19th century, and was expanded in the 1930s.

It was the Windsor residence of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother from 1952 until she died there in 2002, at the age of 101. In 2004, Andrew and his wife Sarah Ferguson moved into Royal Lodge and the pair, though now long divorced, now remain there.

A friend of King Charles said: "As things stand, life at Royal Lodge is set to become increasingly cold and uncomfortable for the duke. The only question now is when he will realise that he has become a prisoner of his own pride — and that handing back the keys will afford him far greater comfort, and the continued support of his family."

Andrew was forced to step down from royal duties amid the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. He quit public life in November 2019, admitting it had "become clear [that] my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family’s work."

And a source close to the royal family told The Times Andrew is taking "longer than desirable to recognise the reality of the situation". They added: "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."

The latest opinion poll revealed Prince Andrew to be the least popular member of the royal family by far. The YouGov survey showed the duke was popular with only 9 per cent of people, while 76 per cent said they disliked him.

Charles has previously claimed his brother should move to nearby Frogmore Cottage — Prince Harry and Meghan's former home. The monarch's wish for Andrew to downsize came as he reportedly cut his £250,000 annual allowance that he had been previously provided with by the late Queen Elizabeth.