Questions are once again swirling around Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s finances, with reports suggesting his legal costs could climb to £1m. With no clear income stream and royal funding long cut off, the issue of how he supports himself is back in the spotlight.
Andrew is facing what many see as the most serious personal and financial crisis of his life. After being arrested and later released amid an investigation into alleged misuse of public authority, experts believe the legal fallout alone could be extremely costly. The i Paper first reported the scale of the potential bills, prompting renewed scrutiny of how the former Duke of York manages his money.
What do we actually know about Andrew’s finances?
The truth is, very little. The picture around Andrew’s personal wealth has always been murky. When Queen Elizabeth II died, reports indicated her £650m estate did not directly pass inheritance to Andrew or his siblings, Prince Edward and Princess Anne.
However, there is strong evidence that the late Queen privately helped cover a significant portion of Andrew’s £12m settlement with Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17. Andrew has always denied the allegations.
Before his fall from grace, Andrew was a working royal for decades. According to The Guardian, he received around £13m between 1978 and 2010, a sum that included public funding. After that period, the late Queen reportedly covered his expenses directly, providing about £1m a year.
That arrangement ended after Andrew’s disastrous 2019 appearance on BBC Newsnight, which triggered widespread backlash and led him to step down from royal duties.
Funding cuts and an uncertain future
Since then, Andrew’s financial situation appears to have steadily worsened. His brother, King Charles III, reportedly cut off his remaining funding, stripped him of his royal titles, and pushed him to leave Royal Lodge for Wood Farm.
With no official role, no public funding, and limited visibility into his private income, Andrew now faces the possibility of another expensive legal fight. If costs do reach £1m, the obvious question remains unanswered: who will pay the bill?
For now, Andrew’s cash crisis shows no sign of easing, and the mystery surrounding his finances continues to deepen.
