Fury at Yorks’ bid for a free house of Windsor
Andrew wants grace and favour cottage for Eugenie but Wills has his eye on it too
PRINCE Andrew is at the centre of a new royal row over claims his family want a grace-and-favour home for his daughter.
The Duke of York has long coveted several royal residences as well as the security of royal life for his children, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
Now it appears his youngest, new mum Eugenie, 32, has made advances of her own to take over Adelaide Cottage at Windsor Castle.
But the Yorks’ plans may soon be scuppered, as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are planning a move to Berkshire to be nearer the Queen.
William and wife Kate have decided to leave London and will vacate their 20-room apartment at Kensington Palace for the countryside.
Sources have confirmed two most likely options for the Cambridges and their children Prince George, eight, Princess Charlotte, seven and Prince Louis, two, are Adelaide Cottage or Fort Belvedere, also on the Windsor estate.
A royal insider said: “The situation could very well become an issue.
“The Duke of York has made no secret of his firm held belief that his children should be treated no differently to William and Harry, despite his daughters
not being working royals. The word is Eugenie is also trying to find somewhere to live and would like to settle in Windsor.”
Eugenie, 32, has been living with her husband, Jack Brooksbank, and their baby son August in Prince Harry’s old pad Frogmore Cottage, in Windsor.
Senior royals were recently concerned about time Andrew was spending with Her Majesty, after reportedly paying
€14million to Virginia Giuffre, a former sex slave of his paedophile pal Jeffrey Epstein, to stop her pursuing a civil trial against him. He denies any wrongdoing.
Palace sources have accused the Duke of “manipulating” his way back into the limelight. A source said: “This is yet another example of the York family’s levels of entitlement, it’s extraordinary.”
Andrew has also refused to leave his 30-room Royal Lodge home at Windsor.
The Cambridges are understood to have enrolled their eldest son in a local school in Berkshire.
Sources say they are keen on Adelaide Cottage, built in 1831 and renovated in 2015, but have yet to commit to a plan.
A source said: “The Cambridges would have first refusal on any royal home but it’s an awkward situation.”
A spokesman for Prince Andrew did not respond to a request for comment.