London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Jan 04, 2026

Prince Andrew faces calls to pay for his own security

Prince Andrew faces calls to pay for his own security

Growing clamour for royal to lose dukedom and taxpayer-funded Scotland Yard security detail

The Duke of York faces calls to pay for his own security and relinquish his dukedom after being stripped of his military affiliations and royal patronages in the fallout over the civil sexual assault case against him.

The calls come as his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, welcomed the New York court ruling that paved the way for her lawsuit against Prince Andrew to proceed to trial, as she pledged to “continue to expose the truth”.

Prince Charles – who, with Prince William, was reportedly key to the Queen making her decision on Andrew’s future – ignored questions about his brother while on an engagement in Scotland.


With Andrew prevented from using his HRH style in any official capacity and banned from royal duties, calls were growing for him to lose his taxpayer-funded Scotland Yard security and his title Duke of York.

Rachael Maskell, the Labour MP for York Central, tweeted it was “untenable” for Andrew to cling on to his title “another day longer”, and Darryl Smalley, a senior member of City of York council, launched a campaign to strip Andrew of his dukedom.


The security minister, Damian Hinds, refused to confirm whether taxpayers would continue to fund Andrew’s security arrangements, telling LBC: “Our security forces, the police and others, do what they judge is necessary to protect our country, to protect people in it.” It was a “longstanding and I think correct principle that we don’t talk about who and how in particular”, he added.

Andrew has made clear he intends to continue to fight to clear his name over allegations made by Giuffre, 38, that she was forced into having sex with him when she was 17 and had been trafficked by the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. He vehemently denies the allegations. A source close to the duke said on Thursday: “This is a marathon not a sprint and the duke will continue to defend himself against these claims.”

As a senior royal, he has round-the-clock Scotland Yard protection. Security costs are never discussed by Buckingham Palace or the Metropolitan police. But it has been reportedly estimated that the annual cost to the taxpayer of guarding Andrew could be up to £2m.

Graham Smith, of the campaign group Republic, questioned whether the taxpayer should fund security for any royals except the head of state. Of Andrew, he said: “Given that he’s no longer in any real sense a member of the royal household it does make sense he pays for his own security.”

The question of taxpayer-funded security for non-working royals was last raised when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down. When Harry and Meghan made public their decision early last year, their website suggested that the Home Office, through the Metropolitan police, should continue to provide protection for the couple and their young son, Archie. The Sussexes later signed multimillion-pound deals with Netflix and Spotify, with the duke telling Oprah Winfrey he had secured them to pay for his security.

The former Home Office minister and royal author Norman Baker said: “[Andrew] has, like Harry, kept his HRH even if he is not using it. But that means he still qualifies to spend public money and qualifies for security. He is no longer carrying out royal duties, so should have the HRH taken away along with his security.” Baker also called for him to have his dukedom revoked.

As Andrew faces mounting legal bills, it is not known if the Queen is assisting him with these privately. He receives an allowance from the Queen from her Duchy of Lancaster estate and may benefit from personal investments and bequests from family members. He also has a modest naval pension.

He lives in the grace-and-favour Royal Lodge at Windsor and is now in the process of selling a ski chalet he co-owns with his ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York. He sold his former marital home, Sunninghill Park near Windsor, which was a wedding gift from the Queen, in 2007 to the son-in-law of the former ruler of Kazakhstan for £15m, £3m over the asking price.

The duke’s daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, received official protection until 2011 but now must foot the bill themselves.

Giuffre has praised Wednesday’s court ruling that rejected legal arguments by Andrew’s lawyer to have her case against him dismissed. She wrote on Twitter that she was pleased with the ruling, adding: “I’m glad I will have the chance to continue to expose the truth & I am deeply grateful to my extraordinary legal team.

“Their determination helps me seek justice from those who hurt me and so many others. My goal has always been to show that the rich and powerful are not above the law & must be held accountable.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Joint Chiefs Chairman Outlines How Operation Absolute Resolve Was Carried Out in Venezuela
Starmer Welcomes End of Maduro Era While Stressing International Law and UK Non-Involvement
Korean Beauty Turns Viral Skincare Into a Global Export Engine
UK Confirms Non-Involvement in U.S. Military Action Against Venezuela
UK Terror Watchdog Calls for Australian-Style Social Media Ban to Protect Teenagers
Iranian Protests Intensify as Another Revolutionary Guard Member Is Killed and Khamenei Blames the West
Delta Force Identified as Unit Behind U.S. Operation That Captured Venezuela’s President
Europe’s Luxury Sanctions Punish Russian Consumers While a Sanctions-Circumvention Industry Thrives
Berkshire’s Buffett-to-Abel Transition Tests Whether a One-Man Trust Model Can Survive as a System
Fraud in European Central Bank: Lagarde’s Hidden Pay Premium Exposes a Transparency Crisis at the European Central Bank
Trump Announces U.S. Large-Scale Strike on Venezuela, Declares President Maduro and Wife Captured
Tesla Loses EV Crown to China’s BYD After Annual Deliveries Decline in 2025
UK Manufacturing Growth Reaches 15-Month Peak as Output and Orders Improve in December
Beijing Threatened to Scrap UK–China Trade Talks After British Minister’s Taiwan Visit
Newly Released Files Reveal Tony Blair Pressured Officials Over Iraq Death Case Involving UK Soldiers
Top Stocks and Themes to Watch in 2026 as Markets Enter New Year with Fresh Momentum
No UK Curfew Ordered as Deepfake TikTok Falsely Attributes Decree to Prime Minister Starmer
Europe’s Largest Defence Groups Set to Return Nearly Five Billion Dollars to Shareholders in Twenty Twenty-Five
Abu Dhabi ‘Capital of Capital’: How Abu Dhabi Rose as a Sovereign Wealth Power
Diamonds Are Powering a New Quantum Revolution
Trump Threatens Strikes Against Iran if Nuclear Programme Is Restarted
Apple Escalates Legal Fight by Appealing £1.5 Billion UK Ruling Over App Store Fees
UK Debt Levels Sit Mid-Range Among Advanced Economies Despite Rising Pressures
UK Plans Royal Diplomacy with King Charles and Prince William to Reinvigorate Trade Talks with US
King Charles and Prince William Poised for Separate 2026 US Visits to Reinforce UK-US Trade and Diplomatic Ties
Apple Moves to Appeal UK Ruling Ordering £1.5 Billion in Customer Overcharge Damages
King Charles’s 2025 Christmas Message Tops UK Television Ratings on Christmas Day
The Battle Over the Internet Explodes: The United States Bars European Officials and Ignites a Diplomatic Crisis
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Join Royal Family at Sandringham Christmas Service
Fine Wine Investors Find Little Cheer in Third Year of Falls
UK Mortgage Rates Edge Lower as Bank of England Base Rate Cut Filters Through Lending Market
U.S. Supermarket Gives Customers Free Groceries for Christmas After Computer Glitch
Air India ‘Finds’ a Plane That Vanished 13 Years Ago
Caviar and Foie Gras? China Is Becoming a Luxury Food Powerhouse
Hong Kong Climbs to Second Globally in 2025 Tourism Rankings Behind Bangkok
From Sunniest Year on Record to Terror Plots and Sports Triumphs: The UK’s Defining Stories of 2025
Greta Thunberg Released on Bail After Arrest at London Pro-Palestinian Demonstration
Banksy Unveils New Winter Mural in London Amid Festive Season Excitement
UK Households Face Rising Financial Strain as Tax Increases Bite and Growth Loses Momentum
UK Government Approves Universal Studios Theme Park in Bedford Poised to Rival Disneyland Paris
UK Gambling Shares Slide as Traders Respond to Steep Tax Rises and Sector Uncertainty
Starmer and Trump Coordinate on Ukraine Peace Efforts in Latest Diplomatic Call
The Pilot Barricaded Himself in the Cockpit and Refused to Take Off: "We Are Not Leaving Until I Receive My Salary"
UK Fashion Label LK Bennett Pursues Accelerated Sale Amid Financial Struggles
U.S. Government Warns UK Over Free Speech in Pro-Life Campaigner Prosecution
Newly Released Files Shed Light on Jeffrey Epstein’s Extensive Links to the United Kingdom
Prince William and Prince George Volunteer Together at UK Homelessness Charity
UK Police Arrest Protesters Chanting ‘Globalise the Intifada’ as Authorities Recalibrate Free Speech Enforcement
Scambodia: The World Owes Thailand’s Military a Profound Debt of Gratitude
Women in Partial Nudity — and Bill Clinton in a Dress and Heels: The Images Revealed in the “Epstein Files”
×