How does he afford his life of luxury on £269k a year?
HE HAS been dubbed the “party prince” who loves the high life but mystery surrounds how the Duke of York lives such a lavish lifestyle on an allowance from his mum.
There is little evidence of him earning the money needed to support such expensive tastes and he’s never had a proper full-time paid job since he left the Royal Navy in 2001.
Royal observers have often pondered how he manages to keep a home in Windsor – shared with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson – and a £13million Swiss chalet in Verbier.
It has seven bedrooms, a sauna, a pool room and a terrace – quite the pile for a man who receives a “basic” allowance of £249,000 from the Queen to fund his office at Buckingham Palace.
His earnings are arguably topped up with a small naval pension of £20,000 a year.
He attracted the moniker “Air Miles Andy”, indulging his penchant for private jets.
Seen at golf courses and the resorts of St Tropez, the question remains – how does he afford it?
The money given to him by the Queen comes from the Duchy of Lancaster, the estate that provides her with a private income. This year the duchy’s profits rose to £21.7million.
Critics say that allowance has meant Andrew has largely relied on currying favour with the rich and the famous in return for access to royal events and accommodation.
Inviting paedophile Jeffrey Epstein for a “straightforward shooting weekend”, for example.
Andrew is said to have spent £7.5million doing up Royal Lodge, the house in Windsor Great Park that he and Sarah shared after their divorce.
The most obvious source of income is the money he made from the sale of Sunninghill Park, which the Queen gave the couple as a wedding gift.
Timur Kulibayev, son-in-law of the president of Kazakhstan, bought it for £15million in 2007.