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Topics: Prince Andrew, Royal Family, Jeffrey Epstein, Virginia Giuffre, UK News
Madison Burgess
Topics: Prince Andrew, Royal Family, Jeffrey Epstein, Virginia Giuffre, UK News
Pressure is mounting for Prince Andrew to vacate the Royal Lodge as more details emerge about his controversial relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The former Duke of York, 65, gave up all of his royal titles and honours earlier this month, just days before the publication of his accuser Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir.
It contains a slew of damning allegations against him, including that he slept with her on three separate occasions when she was a minor. Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing.
In the wake of the accusations, some royal fans have been calling for Andrew to lose his home in Windsor, which is a 30-room estate where he and ex-wife Sarah Ferguson still live.
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And now, a source has told The Sun that the duo have allegedly agreed to leave and move into two separate homes.
According to the publication, Andrew had demanded that he move into Frogmore Cottage, while Fergie has her sights set on Adelaide Cottage.
Allegedly, neither house would need any renovations or cost taxpayers more money on security, as they lie within the Windsor Castle security perimeter. But, on a separate note, this new news has left the British public with an entirely new question - why do Andrew and Fergie still live together in the first place?
For those unfamiliar, the former couple separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996, but Fergie continued to use the title of the Duchess of York until Andrew gave his title up.
However, they've lived together at the Royal Lodge since 2008 and still reside there, almost thirty years after their marriage came to an end.
They also share two daughters - Princess Beatrice, 37, and Princess Eugenie, 35.
We know some people can be friends with their ex, but doesn't still living together after almost three decades of separation is definitely an unusual situation.
In a 2018 interview, Fergie told the MailOnline: "Although we are not a couple, we really believe in each other. The Yorks are a united family."
She also told the Financial Times in 2021 that she and Andrew are 'the happiest divorced couple in the world'.
Fergie said: "I’m lucky enough to be a guest at Royal Lodge. He’s that side and I’m this side."
However, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams has dubbed the move an 'arrangement of convenience' and insisted it all comes down to money.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: "It's lucrative for both of them to be together. The point is that this has been an arrangement of convenience to enable them to live at a certain level.
"My feeling is that it was because they are extremely greedy. I think the problem was they desired a certain lifestyle - and this was the main way to get it.”
He added: "'This arrangement has gone on since 2008 because it was mutually advantageous, but the point is... she always has particularly traded on being the world's happiest divorced couple."
The royal expert later claimed: Now this cover is blown, [and] they want to live apart in two homes. The world can clearly see that the previous arrangement was designed to maximise the benefit of Andrew’s public life for them privately."
Tyla has contacted a representative for Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson for comment.