Sarah Ferguson's other home dilemma as she and Prince Andrew face pressure to leave
Sarah Ferguson is facing a significant decision regarding the London townhouse she purchased two years ago, as she and Prince Andrew are being pressured to vacate Royal Lodge.
The Duke and Duchess of York are reportedly being encouraged by King Charles to leave the Windsor property, as he will cease funding his brother's security operation - estimated at £3 million annually - from November.
This necessitates that Fergie and Andrew find new accommodation. However, the luxury London home Sarah acquired in 2022, worth millions, appears to be off the table as it currently has tenants.
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It's reported that Fergie's tenants are paying her £16,000 monthly for the Belgravia residence. If Sarah and Andrew were to relocate to another property in the area, they would need to secure a new place.
Two-bedroom houses on the same street are now up for rent at £4,000 weekly, equating to £208,000 annually. This cost is half of what the couple would need to cover for the maintenance of Royal Lodge, a Grade II-listed property boasting 30 rooms and 90 acres of land.
A source has claimed that for the Duchess and Duke of York, renting a luxury townhouse would be "a no-brainer" as they face pressure to become "independent" and seek alternative accommodation. The same insider suggested another possibility is remaining at Royal Lodge but footing the bill for "their fully independent means" of staying there, telling the Daily Mail: "Relocating to a luxury townhouse is a move that most people could only dream of, and it would save the Yorks £200,000 per year it's a no-brainer.", reports the Mirror.
"It's time for the Yorks to be independent, they've got a long-term lease with the Crown Estate and if they can pay their fully independent means to live at Royal Lodge, they're very welcome to, but they need the right security for a building of that size. If they can find the money that's great, but if they can't then a smaller property would be much less expensive."
The Duchess, commonly known as Fergie, has rented out the London townhouse she purchased in her own name to long-term tenants, although her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, are also named on the Land Registry documents. It is thought that the property was acquired using funds inherited from Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II.
While the house is seen as an "investment" for Sarah, it is believed that ultimately Beatrice and Eugenie will benefit, as she cannot sell the property without their agreement.
The 75 year old monarch is reportedly convincing his brother Andrew to settle into Frogmore Cottage, where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle once resided. The property, which enjoys the security of the Windsor estate and has undergone significant renovations, seems to have faced a rebuff from Andrew.
Jennie Bond, a former BBC Royal correspondent known for her deep dives into Royal stories, assessed the predicament facing Andrew and the King. Jennie indicated that it would be wise for Andrew to consent to the King's "sensible" proposal, considering a move to the more economically viable Frogmore Cottage while the opportunity is available.
According to her: "The King knows that having a disgraced Duke idling his time away in a 30 room mansion that requires up to half a million pounds of upkeep every year and something like £2million in security costs to keep him there, looks bad. Andrew seems to spend most of his time either riding around the huge estate on horseback or reportedly sitting in front of a big screen watching live coverage of planes landing and taking off. It's not a good look."
Jennie suggested: "So the obvious answer is to persuade him to move to the vacant Frogmore Cottage which has been magnificently refurbished for £2.4million which of course Harry and Meghan finally repaid."
She explained further: "It seems like a perfectly sensible and generous offer by the King to continue to pay the costs for his brother."
"The security would presumably be less at Frogmore because it is much closer to Windsor and within the I security cordon already in place around the castle and its environs. It's time this grand old Duke of York marched down the hill to a property he can afford! ".