Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor relinquished his royal lease and finally departed Royal Lodge in February, after years of calls for him to be ousted due to his links to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Talk of his eviction swirled when his mother, Queen Elizabeth II,was still alive, and it transpires that she also wanted him to leave – but not for the reason you might think.
In Robert Hardman’s latest book, Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. The Inside Story, he details how an insider revealed that Her Majesty wanted Andrew to go to Frogmore Cottage and Prince William to go to Royal Lodge. This was because of how much she loved Royal Lodge as a child, and with its iconic children’s playhouse and swimming pool, it is an ideal family home. It is believed that at the time, William and his family did not want to relocate.
Royal Lodge’s family features
© Print CollectorFirstly, the fact that the Royal Lodge estate is a vast 98 acres makes it a children’s paradise for exploring. Then, the garden itself is a wonderland for kids. We’ve seen Princess Eugenie’s hand-carved tree swing, painting a wholesome picture of their family setting.
Plus, within the garden is an iconic piece of royal history – a giant playhouse which was once made for Queen Elizabeth II in 1932 by the people of Wales. It is called Y Bwthyn Bach, which is Welsh for “The Little Cottage”.
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It has been branded the “most glamorous Wendy house ever”. It is an amazing life-sized playhouse complete with running water, electricity, a fully functioning kitchen and bathroom, and a living room and bedroom.
Also, historic photographs from the exterior of the house show the grounds to have a swimming pool. Presumably this has been kept usable over the years, so Eugenie and Beatrice could enjoy it when they were growing up on the estate.
What will happen to Royal Lodge now?
© Samir Hussein/WireImageWith Royal Lodge in a state of disrepair, it isn’t looking like royal family members are falling over themselves to nab the keys. Royal biographer, Andrew Lownie, who is the author of Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, told HELLO! what he thinks could happen to the 30-room mansion.
He said: “I think that’s the problem with these royal properties, they have traditionally gone to courtiers. There are very few people like the Westons who had Belvedere, who can afford to live there.
“I’m sure the Chinese ambassador would love it as a residence, but I mean, that’s not going to happen when it’s in the security zone. I think they’ve got to change the security cordon, perhaps, and make it a public building open for people to visit, maybe as a tribute, for example, to the Queen Mother and the late Queen, who grew up there. That might be one option.”
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© Bettmann ArchiveHe compares it to Balmoral, which has now opened more of its interior than ever before, under King Charles’ watchful eye. “Reinvent it as a place to visit in the way they’re doing with Balmoral. And I suspect we’ll see that with other homes. I think Buckingham Palace could now become very much a public building that’s open to the public. And [the monarchy] could raise large sums of money doing it.”
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