King Charles slashes Prince Andrew's royal purse

King Charles lll has severed Prince Andrew Duke of York's £1 million ($1.3 million) annual allowance.

The King has reportedly instructed his Keeper of the Privy Purse, the monarchy's finance director, to cut his beleaguered younger brother's annual personal allowance - believed to be in the region of £1 million a year - and no longer pays for his seven-figure private security detail.

Prince Andrew, father of Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, has been living in the sprawling 30-room Royal Lodge in Windsor with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson for more than 20 years.

Reports emerged in September that King Charles was "losing patience" over his brother staying put at his residence, which requires costly upkeep, and was urging him to find a smaller alternative.

Frogmore Cottage, the former marital home of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, was suggested as a more suitable option, but the Prince allegedly denied this offer.

Five years ago, the Duke of York stepped down from royal duties following a trainwreck BBC Newsnight interview about the sexual abuse allegations against his former friend and paedophile, the late Jeffrey Epstein. He has repeatedly denied all allegations levelled against him.