Prince Andrew was supposed to lose his bodyguards, funded by the taxpayers, after a Home Office cost-cutting review was made. However, the Duke of York, reportedly, complained to his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who asked the courtiers to intervene.
Prince Andrew was about to lose all of his three protection officers last Monday but asked the help of Queen Elizabeth. However, he was not the only one who was supposed to be hit by the proposed cuts, but Princess Anne, Prince Edward, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, as well.
A royal source said, via The Sun, that Her Majesty's kids all tried to lobby their mother, but Sarah Ferguson's former husband was the most "persuasive." After the Queen made it clear that she was not happy with the proposal, the proposed cut was put to a stop and would be under review again over the next few weeks.
Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice's father had left his royal duties for about seven months now after he was linked to the criminal sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. His three bodyguards cost £100,000 a year each, totaling to £300,000. The cost includes their annual wages, flights, perks, and hotel accommodations.
Sources estimate that the taxpayers spend over £100 million a year for the royal family's security costs. Hence, the Home Office launched a review earlier this year.
Graham Smith, a member of the anti-monarchy group Republic, said that if Prince Andrew is not doing his royal duties, he has no reason to have security. If he wants to be continuously protected by a security group, he can privately pay for it.
If the Home Office and police find there is no risk and do not need round-the-clock security, Smith believes it is "appropriate." He also finds it unacceptable that they have to put it under review again due to Queen Elizabeth's request.
The royal family spokesman, alternatively, said that they never commented on "matters of security to provide guidance." The security policy, funded by the public, would remain a matter for the "well-established independent processes" that made decisions regarding these matters.
This news comes after Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, put their now-controversial luxury Swiss chalet on the market for £18.3 million. The said amount is, reportedly, the exact number that they had paid for when they bought the lavish house six years ago.
According to the Daily Mail, the property is being sold to repay Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's £6.7 million debt to its former owner, Isabelle de Rouvre. The French socialite is, reportedly, suing the ex-couple for failing to give their final installment, which was due on New Year's Day.
