Prince Andrew made greedy Royal Lodge pact with Sarah Ferguson to gain 'sexual freedom'

Despite finalising their divorce almost 30 years ago, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson still live together in the Royal Lodge: a 30-room mansion on the grounds of Windsor Castle.

While the pair have described themselves as the "happiest divorced couple", their unusual living arrangement has often raised eyebrows, especially with reports that King Charles is desperate to kick the disgraced duke out of the royal abode.

But the former couple have insisted on clinging on to their strange set-up for one major reason, according to royal author and historian Andrew Lownie. The latest bombshell claims come after King Charles' Balmoral Castle was forced to close as a warning was issued.

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In his new book, 'Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York,' Lownie claims that one of the key reasons the divorced couple are still living together is because of Andrew's reliance on Sarah for "stability".

The royal author writes: "Andrew, at first after the separation and divorce, remained half in love with her, relishing his freedom to enjoy a series of casual sexual flings while still retaining the security of apparent married life."

The biography further claims that a friend of the Yorks said: "He's a charmer but most of the romances fizzle out, and that's why he kept the stability of being close to Sarah. He has the family side and the playboy side and he's been able to balance the two for decades."

Andrew and Fergie have also long claimed that they decided to cohabitate soon after their separation for the benefit of their daughters, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, who were only young when the couple split.

Another reason to continue this arrangement, Lownie notes, is that Sarah also gets to live alongside the royals and reap the benefits from it. The biographer said: "She of course gets all the benefits of and status of being still connected to the Royal Family. She can live at Royal Lodge for free, and all the benefits of cooks and stuff, and it gives her her status, which is very important to her, by means of earning a living."

Since Andrew's disastrous interview with Newsnight in 2019 that linked him with billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, the Duke of York has been under pressure from his brother, King Charles, to vacate the Royal Lodge and move into a smaller royal residence, such as Frogmore cottage.

However, according to the terms of Prince Andrew's lease of the Royal Lodge, it is near impossible for King Charles to evict his disgraced brother.

According to Lownie's new biography: "Andrew had signed a 75-year lease for £1 million in 2003 from the Crown Estate and, while he fulfilled its stipulations in terms of renovation and upkeep, it was impossible for the King to evict him."

In an attempt to drive Andrew out of the royal residence, the King reportedly withdrew any financial support in 2024 and insisted Andrew fund his own security, leaving many wondering how he would pay for security measures while also funding the running costs of the Royal Lodge, which are reportedly £250,000 a year.

Buckingham Palace and Sarah Ferguson's team declined to comment.