Prince Andrew's shameless move that saw King Charles axe his £1m annual allowance

The monarch's patience ran out when Andrew made a bold statement about his future at Royal Lodge - and he instructed the Keeper of the Privy Purse to axe his living allowance, according to a royal author

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With mounting pressure to take action, King Charles took decisive steps to tackle the 'Andrew problem' last week.

Royal sources say that in a 10-minute phone call on Friday, the monarch made it clear to his younger brother that if he did not freely give up the right to use his titles, they would be removed from him one way or another.

It prompted Andrew to release a somewhat bullish statement in which he claimed, "I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first" before confirming: "I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me."

It means Andrew forfeited the Duke Of York title - similarly his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson is no longer a Duchess - and he also gave up membership of the Order of the Garter, the oldest and most senior order of chivalry in Britain.

Given the tsunami of allegations still being made against Andrew, it was only a matter of time before Charles was forced into action. But he did take steps last year in the face of growing public outrage over Andrew's link to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Andrew vehemently denies the allegations Virginia Giuffre was forced to have sex with him three times after being trafficked by Epstein.

The King reportedly severed Andrew's '£1 million-a-year' allowance that the late Queen had continued giving him last summer. According to Robert Hardman in his updated biography, Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story, a source confirmed that Prince Andrew "is no longer a financial burden on the King".

Prior to that, it was understood that, as the late Queen had done, Charles was using his "private" income from the Duchy of Lancaster to pay a personal allowance, reported to be £1 million (around $1.3 million) per year, to Andrew as well as paying for his security.

Hardman wrote: "In the late summer of this year, that patience ran out. The Duke informed the monarch that, regardless of any ultimatum, he was going to stay put at Royal Lodge.

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"At which point, the Keeper of the Privy Purse (the monarchy's finance director) was instructed to sever his living allowance."

A source quoted as familiar with the recent financial wrangling between the brothers said that Prince claims to have found "other sources of income related to his contacts in international trade".

There have long been questions about how Andrew has been able to afford to remain at Royal Lodge. And this week the mystery seemed to be solved.

It has been revealed that the disgraced former duke has paid barely any paid rent on Royal Lodge for more than two decades.

The revelation helps to explain how he and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson have managed to stay in the huge 30-room mansion. And it will also add to the ongoing pressure for him to finally give it up.

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Andrew and Sarah live together in separate wings at the Lodge, despite divorcing in 1996. But calls for the scandal-ridden former couple to evict the sprawling property are now at an all-time high.

The leasehold agreement on Andrew's grace and favour mansion, Royal Lodge, was obtained by the Associated Press amid calls for transparency over the residence.

Documents obtained by the Times show Andrew paid £1million for the lease and at least £7.5million towards extensive refurbishments completed in 2005.

Andrew has a 75-year lease of the 30-bedroom Royal Lodge, allowing him to live in the property until 2078.

The lease agreement confirms that the Crown Estate would need to pay Andrew around £558,000 if he gave up the lease. And he would be due a £185,865 a year compensatory sum until year 25 of the agreement is reached in 2028.