The King’s aides flatly deny the suggestion, but the prince has nevertheless become fixed on the idea, which surfaced a year ago, that Royal Lodge was being earmarked for Camilla.
In truth, the Queen, who became a member of the royal family by marriage in 2005, is far less grand than Prince Andrew and is unlikely to want to live alone in such a large residence even for only part of the year.
Camilla still owns Ray Mill House, the Grade II-listed family house in Wiltshire she bought with the divorce settlement from her first husband, Andrew Parker Bowles, and it is said to be the place where she feels most at home.
Earlier this year, she chose Ray Mill as the location for her official 78th birthday portrait, and in March, the King bought the Old Mill estate next to Ray Mill to prevent it from being turned into a wedding venue and ruining the Queen’s privacy.
In discussions about Royal Lodge, Prince Andrew has been immovable in his opinion that he has every right to remain there.
He paid £1 million ($2.05 million) for a 75-year lease on the property in 2003, and spent more than £7.5 million renovating it at his own expense as part of the same agreement.
The prince has argued that he has saved the taxpayer money by paying for the renovations – and the considerable annual upkeep of the mansion – out of his own funds and does not agree with the view of some MPs that he is costing the taxpayer money by living rent-free.
Andrew’s representatives have put forward the view that Royal Lodge could not be rented out by the Crown Estate – in effect an arm of the Treasury – because of security concerns over its proximity to Windsor Castle.
Meanwhile, William, the Prince of Wales, who has no time for his uncle but remains on good terms with his cousins, Beatrice and Eugenie, has made it known that he wants the issue of Royal Lodge settled before he becomes king.
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Sir Geoffrey said he would ask questions of the Treasury and the Crown Estate as part of his committee’s remit “to examine the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of public spending, and ensure the taxpayer is receiving best value for money”.
He said: “We will review the response we receive to our forthcoming correspondence and will consider at that time whether to seek further information.”
He also said the committee would keep a close eye on the Crown Estate’s annual report when it came out next year.
