How King Charles III became locked in ‘the siege of Royal Lodge’ with Prince Andrew

Like all disputes within the House of Windsor, it didn’t take long before it spilled onto the pages of the British tabloids.

In early August, The Sun newspaper claimed King Charles III was considering stripping his disgraced brother Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, of his security detail.

Until 2022, Andrew was guarded by armed police, but he lost the right to taxpayer-funded security — along with his status as a working royal — after settling a sexual abuse case.

Since then, Charles has used his own money to fund private security guards to protect his brother, at a rumoured cost of $5.8 million a year

So why did this stoush about security spill into the tabloids?

It all appears to be part of a bigger, longer-running battle known as the “siege of Royal Lodge”.

“What other reason could there be to take his security away?” an unnamed “palace insider” told The Sun.

“It isn’t a secret that the king wants him out.”

For years, the brothers have reportedly been at odds over a sweetheart deal cut between Andrew and his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, to give the Duke of York lifelong possession of a grand mansion on the grounds of Windsor Castle.