King Charles attended a church service near Balmoral Estate in Aberdeenshire just days after it was revealed he paid £1.5 million for repairs at the Royal Lodge for his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who recently left the property amid controversy. The monarch and Queen Camilla were photographed driving to Crathie Church in a black Range Rover, with Charles reportedly feeling an obligation to cover the costs to avoid any public expense.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-12,
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Story summary
King Charles, 77, attended a church service near Balmoral Estate in Aberdeenshire just days after it was revealed he loaned his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor £1.5 million for repairs to the Royal Lodge in Windsor. Queen Camilla, 79, accompanied her husband in a black Range Rover for the Sunday service at Crathie Church. Andrew had been evicted from the lodge earlier this year due to his ties with Jeffrey Epstein and faced repair costs of £302,000 after early termination of his lease; Charles covered the remainder. The repairs were needed as the mansion, where Andrew lived rent-free for over two decades, showed signs of significant disrepair including cracks and mold on its exterior walls.
Written for “Charles Pays For Andrew's Repair Bill” on 2026-10-12,
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King Charles has been spotted attending church just days after it emerged he footed a £1.5million bill to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor for repairs to the Royal Lodge.
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he → spot → Lodge
The monarch, 77, was accompanied by his wife, Queen Camilla, as they drove to Crathie Church in Aberdeenshire on Sunday morning for a service.
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they → accompany → service
The pair were pictured riding in a black Range Rover with Camilla, 79, donning a feather-tailed hat for the occasion while her husband sported what appeared to be a tartan suit.
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what → picture → occasion
Crathie Church - which is located near Balmoral Castle - regularly plays host to the King and the wider royal family, with the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children seen at the site in August for a similar Sunday service.
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Prince → locate → service
King Charles's outing comes only days after it was revealed he loaned his disgraced brother Andrew £1.5million to cover repair costs for the Royal Lodge.
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he → come → Lodge
Andrew, 66, was evicted from the Windsor residence earlier this year amid his connections to the disgraced financier and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
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Andrew → evict → financier
The former Duke of York - who lived at the lodge rent-free for more than two decades - left the mansion with £1.8million worth of 'dilapidations' in need of repair before it can be rented out again.
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it → live → repair
King Charles was spotted heading to Crathie Church in Aberdeenshire - only days after footing his disgraced brother Andrew's £1.5million repair bill
Queen Camilla is pictured in the front of a black Range Rover making her way to the Sunday service alongside husband King Charles
Crathie Church, located near royal residence Balmoral Castle, regularly plays host to the King and his family
Assessors found £302,000 could be knocked off the repairs bill as Andrew's lease was terminated early, with Charles settling the remainder of the cost.
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Charles → spot → cost
It is said he felt 'obliged' to loan his brother £1.5million from his private income to ensure there is no cost to taxpayers for the work, which includes repairs to the main house and garden area.
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which → say → house
Andrew previously paid £7.5million for refurbishments when he took over the property in 2003 and lived at the site paying a 'peppercorn' rent.
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he → pay → rent
Revealing the size of the bill, The Crown Estate said: 'The former tenant has fully vacated and paid £1.8million for dilapidations.
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tenant → reveal → dilapidations
This sum was informed and reviewed by independent advisers.
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sum → inform → advisers
'The amount of compensation the tenant is entitled to for surrendering the lease in October 2026 is circa £302,000.
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tenant → entitle → October
‘Therefore, the overall net amount received by The Crown Estate is £1.5million.'
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amount → receive → Estate
In the past, Buckingham Palace has said King Charles makes 'provision' for Andrew that would otherwise be a burden on the taxpayer.
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that → say → taxpayer
The timing of the loan comes only one day after it emerged Andrew is currently locked in a High Court battle over whether evidence obtained during raids of two of his properties can be used in the criminal investigation into him.
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evidence → come → him
The Royal Lodge has fallen into disrepair, with cracks and mould appearing on the outside walls
It is said Charles felt 'obliged' to loan his brother £1.5million from his private income to ensure there is no cost to taxpayers for the work to the Royal Lodge (Pictured: Andrew and King Charles in 2012)
The repairs needed to the delipidated mansion can be seen easily from the outside
Royal Lodge, the lavish Windsor mansion Andrew shared with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson
On Thursday, it emerged at the High Court the former prince took out a judicial review against Thames Valley Police and the Old Bailey judge who approved the search warrants on his homes in February.
The warrants, issued by a judge at the Old Bailey on February 18, allowed police to raid Andrew's residence on the Sandringham Estate and his former Windsor home, Royal Lodge, in February.
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police → fall → February
He was then arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on February 19, his 66th birthday, following allegations he shared sensitive information with Jeffrey Epstein during his time as the UK's trade envoy.
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he → arrest → envoy
Andrew was interviewed under caution before being released under investigation, and denies wrongdoing, with the police probe ongoing.
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probe → interview → wrongdoing
The Aporia
