Thank you! The excerpt on the Duke of York from the new chapters of Mr. Hardman's book can be read at this link:
Less than a year and a half into the reign of Charles III, the monarchy had to come to terms with two grave personal challenges.
www.dailymail.co.uk
Quoting from the excerpt:
'Had she lived another year, he would have been out [of Royal Lodge],' says a former adviser to Elizabeth II firmly.
'It was her plan to move him out, to end the lease for the Sussexes at Frogmore Cottage and to move Andrew in there. It was mainly a money thing, as she could see it was becoming unsustainable.'
[...]
'No one felt guilty about taking over his office because he and his people had become bullies by the end. They would tell the security people that no one needed clearance to come in if they were 'a personal friend' of the Duke,' says one [member of Elizabeth II's staff]. 'That is how he got Newsnight in there without people knowing. He'd told us he wasn't doing a TV interview and then said he wouldn't do one during an election. Then he did both.'
[...]
In the late summer of this year [2024], that [King Charles III's] patience ran out. The Duke informed the monarch that, regardless of any ultimatum, he was going to stay put at Royal Lodge anyway. At which point, the Keeper of the Privy Purse (the monarchy's finance director) was instructed to sever his living allowance.
'The Duke is no longer a financial burden on the King,' confirms one familiar with the situation. 'He claims to have found other sources of income related to his contacts in international trade, sufficient to cover all his costs – which would be a welcome outcome for all parties if that turns out to be the case. But as to whether this funding can be relied upon in the long term is another matter.'
[...]
And what if the money then runs out?
'Let's just say that if that moment comes, and the Duke needs to call on the King's resources once more, the range of options available to him may be more limited and rather less appealing,' says one insider drily.
'This was never about 'punishing' the Duke for past misdeeds, or freeing up the property for another member of the family,' insists the source. 'It was about his long-term welfare and security – and that of the house. Alas, that advice has gone unheeded, which is frustrating for all those nearest and dearest to him.'
The Duke's lack of common sense comes as no surprise to veterans of life in the Royal Household. They point to an incident in 2016 when, upon his return to Royal Lodge after an outing, the electric sensors on one of the gates failed to work.
Rather than make a five-minute detour to another entrance, he simply rammed the gate with his Range Rover, causing considerable damage to both the gate and the £80,000 car. 'It could have been easier to understand if he'd been drunk,' said one Palace staffer at the time. 'But he is teetotal.'
I wonder what the Duke's alleged "other sources of income related to his contacts in international trade, sufficient to cover all his costs" are, and whether they might be problematic in the eyes of the public.
Was the 2016 gate-ramming incident reported on at the time?
The sources who briefed Mr. Hardman on behalf of the King are, by the standards of the palace briefings, harsh in tone.
never mind! Perhaps it has sold so many copies they've run out of stock ?
