RICHARD EDEN: Why King Charles should leave Prince Andrew alone and instead take action against the “troublemakers” Harry and Meghan

After she and Prince Albert bought Balmoral in 1852 for £32,000 (£5 million today), Queen Victoria described the Aberdeenshire estate as her “dear Highland paradise.” The Scottish retreat was so dear to the late Queen Elizabeth's heart that she decided to spend her final days there.

King Charles and Queen Camilla are currently spending their summer holiday in Balmoral. Their first guests include Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York. But I hear there is trouble in “paradise”.

While the royals enjoy grouse hunting, salmon fishing and picnics in what Princess Eugenie calls “the most beautiful place in the world,” their parents probably know there is one subject they need to broach with the royal, however uncomfortable it may be.

According to a palace insider, this is apparently his campaign to evict the pair from Royal Lodge, Andrew and Fergie's family home in Windsor Great Park since they paid £1 million for a 75-year lease in 2003.

Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson currently live in the 31-bedroom Royal Lodge on the grounds of Windsor Great Park

The mansion is not owned by the King but by the independent Crown Estate, and it could not be rented to a private tenant instead of the Yorks

The monarch's latest move, revealed by a newspaper last weekend, is the dismissal of the Royal Lodge's 10-strong security team. King Charles is said to have informed the Secret Intelligence Service that the team would no longer be required from the autumn.

Since Andrew's armed security detail, which costs £3 million a year, was withdrawn in 2022, the king has paid private guards for the 31-room property, which was the Queen Mother's home until his death.

This came after Andrew “stepped down” from royal duties following his disastrous interview with BBC programme Newsnight over his friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

According to a report in the Sun on Sunday, a palace insider told the newspaper about the king's plans to remove Andrew's guards: “Everyone is speculating that this means the Duke will have to leave the royal box, because what other reason could there be to remove his guards? They are all working out the last few weeks of their contracts until the end of October. There is no thought of anyone in the pipeline to replace them. It is no secret that the King wants to get rid of him.”

This week, friends of the Duke and Duchess of York declined to discuss the dispute, no doubt fearing rising tensions as they spend time with the King and Queen.

I understand, however, that they are confused by attempts to evict them from what they always thought was their “forever home” – a home that they could, if they so wished, pass on to their daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.

They don't believe the king can be motivated by saving money. After all, last year he not only received £86.3 million from the Sovereign Grant to fund the working royals, but also more than £27 million from the Duchy of Lancaster's estate, which he can spend as he pleases – and that's before he touches his private fortune.

Royal Lodge is not the property of the King but of the independent Crown Estate and, contrary to claims to the contrary, could not be rented to a private tenant in place of the Yorks.

A 2005 report by the National Audit Office made it clear that this was due to “the sensitive location of the property in the heart of Windsor Great Park and the resulting management issues, as well as security concerns surrounding the Royal Family's access to the Royal Chapel”.

The king is reportedly firing the private security guards he has employed for Prince Andrew since 2022, when his armed protection officers, who earn £3 million a year, were withdrawn.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were on a pseudo-royal tour of Colombia this week

The Royal Chapel of All Saints – where Andrew's daughter Princess Beatrice married Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in 2020 – is located in the grounds of the Royal Lodge.

The Crown Estate now believes it would be appropriate for the property to remain in the royal family's possession. As I reported in June, that position has not changed.

Interestingly, several York friends have expressed the same theory to me about why this “eviction campaign” has begun: Could it be that the King sees Royal Lodge as a potential future home for Queen Camilla, should she outlive him?

Whatever the motivation, it seems bizarre to me that the King is increasing the pressure on his brother when he should be turning his attention to another former active member of the royal family: his younger son, Prince Harry.

Despite all his misdeeds, Andrew can never be accused of disloyalty. Despite the countless humiliations he has suffered, neither the Duke nor the Duchess of York have ever uttered a word of criticism of the royal family.

This is in stark contrast to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who have made a career out of disloyalty.

The king doesn't want to risk his brother and Fergie following Harry and Meghan's example and trying to make a fortune by criticizing the monarchy, does he?

Andrew's worst sin was arguably his poor judgement towards friends and acquaintances such as Epstein. He has denied being a co-conspirator with Epstein and refuted claims by his accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre that he sexually abused her when she was 17 – despite reaching a settlement with her estimated to be worth £12 million.

My advice to His Majesty is to pay the security costs for the Royal Lodge without complaint and let Andrew stay. Rather than getting caught up in this particular dispute, the King should turn his attention to Harry and Meghan before they embark on yet another troubled pseudo-royal tour.

But that doesn't mean Andrew should go unpunished. He should also be removed from his position as a Counsellor of State along with Harry. He and Harry should also both be removed from the line of succession.

The mere prospect of either of them coming close to the throne would turn this ardent monarchist into a republican.

Click here to sign up to Richard Eden's royal newsletter.