“While I Still Got These Keys” Prince Andrew’s Fight to Keep Royal Lodge

Prince Andrew is fighting to retain Royal Lodge, clinging to what he perceives as his “remaining power” after a significant downgrade in his royal status. According to the Daily Express, Talk TV host Kevin O’Sullivan claimed that the struggle to keep the 30-room mansion, which King Charles has asked him to vacate, is symbolic for the disgraced prince.

O’Sullivan remarked, “[Andrew] has lost everything. And he doesn’t like it. Andrew thinks he should be allowed a way back [into the fold], so him hanging on to the key of the Royal Lodge has become symbolic for him.”

The royal commentator elaborated, “It’s a symbol of his remaining power. ‘While I still got these keys, I can still stand up to my brother [King Charles].’ That basically is it as I understand it.” The 75-year-old monarch has reportedly threatened to pull funding for the Royal Lodge if Andrew does not move to a more modest residence at Frogmore Cottage.

Despite this, the Duke of York remains defiant, backed by a 75-year lease under his name that he acquired after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Andrew was forced to step back from his position as a working royal in 2020, following a BBC Newsnight interview that highlighted his association with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Royal expert Kinsey Schofield commented on the situation during the same show: “I agree, and looking at the pictures that we’ve seen over the last few weeks, it’s a poor reflection on Prince Andrew that the building is falling to pieces and he’s not really in a position to financially keep up with it at this point in time.”

Schofield added, “He doesn’t have a regular job, and good luck finding one. With the way the world is right now, I think a lot of people are unhappy with his association with Jeffrey Epstein and they’d rather keep their distance.”

As the struggle over the Royal Lodge continues, it remains to be seen how this standoff will impact Prince Andrew’s already tarnished reputation and strained relationship with the royal family.