Prince Andrew wants to keep two homes from Royal Lodge: report

Prince Andrew could begin moving into Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s former royal residence.

It was reported on October 27 that the disgraced 66-year-old royal had agreed to move out of the 30-room Royal Lodge, with Frogmore Cottage in the grounds of Windsor Castle being among his options for his next home.

The deal means Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who lives with Andrew in their Windsor Great Park mansion despite their divorce in 1996, could move into Adelaide Cottage, which Prince William and Duchess Kate are about to vacate. The proposal was reported in The Sun on October 27th.

“Frogmore Cottage is too small for them and Adelaide Cottage is around the corner so they can meet up whenever they want,” a source told The Sun newspaper.

“Negotiations are still ongoing,” a source close to the lawsuit tells PEOPLE.

Prince William, Duchess Kate and their children Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7, will soon move to Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park, about three miles away. It’s a place they’ll soon call their “forever home.” The family hopes to arrive in time for the children to return to Lambbrook School on November 3rd.

Buckingham Palace and Sarah Ferguson’s office declined PEOPLE’s requests for comment.

A source tells PEOPLE that the option of giving Andrew and Sarah their own villas has been on the table for some time and was a proposal from Buckingham Palace.

Days of intense negotiations have ensued over Andrew’s request to leave Royal Lodge, where he has lived since 2003. Late last week, it was reported that a deal was on the way.

Andrew has been under intense pressure to leave the Royal Lodge, and the pressure increased after Britain’s Times newspaper published a redacted version showing he was entitled to live at the Royal Lodge for peppercorn rent after paying about 8 million pounds (about $10.6 million) for the lease and subsequent renovations. “Peppercorn rent” is a term used to describe very small amounts of rent, sometimes as small as a peppercorn.

Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan were given Frogmore Cottage by the late Queen Elizabeth. The couple moved into the house in 2019, just days before the birth of their first child, Prince Archie, and had hoped it would be their long-term home. However, he was asked to vacate the mansion in 2023 after deciding to move to the United States and step down as a senior working member of the royal family.

Meanwhile, William and Kate have lived at Adelaide Cottage for just over three years. It was a great place to start a family life in Windsor, but it was also a place that held some unhappy memories. Shortly after relocating, Queen Elizabeth passed away, and in 2024 they faced the dual pressures and challenges of Kate and Charles’ cancer diagnosis. Kate announced in January that she was in remission. Charles continues to receive regular treatment.

There was talk of Andrew leaving for one of the vast royal estates in Scotland or Norfolk. But Andrew is reported to have said he wants to be as close as possible to his two adult daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, who have homes in London and nearby south-east England.

The Frogmore and Adelaide cottage proposals would be an answer for Andrew, who has been criticized for more than a year over his residence at Royal Lodge. Frogmore is within the castle’s security cordon, so there is no cost to the British taxpayer.

Charles and his team had suggested Andrew leave the Royal Lodge more than a year ago, but when the stubborn prince persisted, citing a long-term lease that runs until 2078, some insiders dubbed it a “Royal Lodge siege”.

Andrew’s accommodation has come under renewed scrutiny as the Royal Lodge is leased from the Crown Estate since he stepped back from royal duties due to his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal conspiracy and sex trafficking charges.

He stepped back from public royal roles in 2019 following a bombshell interview with the BBC in which he spoke about his relationship with Epstein.

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Talks over Prince Andrew’s housing arrangements intensify amid renewed interest in his relationship with Epstein, but in a statement released on October 17, Prince Andrew said: “After consultation with the King and my immediate family, I have come to the conclusion that the continued accusations against me are interfering with the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family. As always, I have chosen to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by the decision I made five years ago to step back from public life.”

“With His Majesty’s consent, I feel we must go a step further. That is why I no longer intend to use my title or the honors bestowed upon me,” he added. “As I have stated previously, I strongly deny the charges against me.”