Inside Prince Andrew's palatial Royal Lodge: BRIAN HOEY reveals how it was the beloved retreat of the Queen Mother, a playground for young Princess Elizabeth and the host for Margaret's engagement photos

It has been the home of kings and queens and the playground of a future monarch.

Royal Lodge - now in the spotlight amid the alleged refusal of current occupant Prince Andrew to move out - has stood in its current form since the 19th century.

Situated in 98 acres in Windsor Great Park, the property was once known as King's Lodge but its name was changed by the Duke of Cumberland when he became King George IV in 1820. 

William IV demolished part of Royal Lodge and, for sixty years, senior members of the Royal Household used it mainly as a 'grace-and-favour' home.

In 1931, King George V gave permission for his son, Prince Albert, the Duke of York, and his wife to take over the property and they moved in the following year.

They used the 30-room Royal Lodge as a private country house, even after they became Duke and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1936. 

Princess Elizabeth and her sister Margaret spent many happy days playing in the grounds and making use of Y Bwthyn Bach - the miniature thatched cottage that was given to the future Queen by the people of Wales to mark her sixth birthday in 1932.

A very grand looking Royal Lodge where Prince Andrew resides with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson

Royal Lodge - now in the spotlight amid the alleged refusal of current occupant Prince Andrew (pictured horse riding in the grounds of his home earlier this month) to move out - has stood in its current form since the 19th century

Photos taken last month show the paintwork crumbling and cracks forming in the walls at Prince Andrew's Royal Lodge home

After George VI's death in 1952, the Queen Mother continued to live at Royal Lodge at weekends until her death in 2002. 

Her grandson Prince Andrew, the present Duke of York, has lived there since 2004. His daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, love the place as much as he does.

Andrew - who now lives in the property with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson - signed a 75-year lease with the Crown Estate when he moved in, making a £1million initial payment.

The agreement included a notional rent of £260,000 a year. 

Andrew - who remains an outcast from public life amid the fallout from his relationship with peadophile Jeffrey Epstein -  has spent nearly £7million carrying out extensive renovations and repairs to the property. 

He has refused all requests by his brother to move into the smaller Frogmore Cottage. 

George VI with his family in the Queen Mother's beautiful gardens  at Royal Lodge

It was called the Royal Lodge from the early 1820s. Above: A depiction of the lodge from 1823

The Grade II listed building in Windsor Great Park in 1937

A general view of the Royal Lodge in Windsor in April 1942

In 1960, Princess Margaret's engagement photos with her husband-to-be Anthony Armstrong-Jones were taken at Royal Lodge.  

The gardens reflect the character of the late Queen Mother, who spent many hours working there. 

She did not change the entire 98 acres but concentrated on the 30 acres surrounding Royal Lodge that she preferred to call her personal garden. 

The royal installed paths lined with hedges and trees and beautiful flower beds containing all her favourites, such as Azaleas - her particular favourites. 

The garden became a haven of rest and tranquility, where she spent countless hours and days accompanied on occasion by the then Prince Charles.

As his transformation of Highgrove House proves, has always shared his grandmother's passion for flowers and plants.

The Queen mother at a window in the little Welsh house in the grounds of  the Royal Lodge

Princess Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret on their bicycles in the grounds of Royal Lodge, April 1942

Also in the Royal Lodge grounds is Y Bwthyn Bach (the literal translation is the small house) which was a gift to the six-year-old Princess Elizabeth in 1932

Princess Elizabeth  and her sister Princess Margaret in outside Y Bwthyn Bach in 1933

The Queen Mother concentrated on the 30 acres surrounding Royal Lodge that she preferred to call her personal garden, installing paths lined with hedges and trees and beautiful flower beds. Above: King George VI, Queen Elizabeth and their daughters Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret sit in the garden of Royal Lodge, 1946

The Queen Mother's drawing room at Royal Lodge, 1981

Princess Margaret's official engagement pictures were taken in the grounds of Royal Lodge. Above: With husband-to-be Anthony Armstrong-Jones when their engagement was announced in 1960

Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones pose inside Royal Lodge after the announcement of their engagement, February 27, 1960

Princess Beatrice looking beautiful wearing the Queen's dress on her wedding day at The Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge, Windsor in 2020

Sarah Ferguson poses inside Royal Lodge. You can see the beautiful gardens behind her

Prince Andrew and Fergie have preferred to re-organise the interior of the house, making it more up to date and modern. 

There is a majestic drawing room and dining hall and splendid arched gothic windows.  

However, the shelves are said to be filled with Sarah's collection of novelty teapots.

The grounds of Royal Lodge include a gardener's cottage and the Royal Chapel of All Saints, where Princess Beatrice and Edo Mapelli Mozzi married in 2020 in a ceremony attended by the late Queen and Prince Philip.

There is also a swimming pool and tennis court. 

If the King gets his way, Andrew will have to give up these delights for the more modest surroundings of Frogmore Cottage or another property. 

If rumours are to be believed, Prince William and Catherine, the Princess of Wales, could be the next occupants of Royal Lodge with their young family.