Prince Andrew tries to win back $3.7M-a-year taxpayer-funded security: report

Prince Andrew is desperately looking to win back armed security protection that would set British taxpayers back a whopping $3.7 million (£3m).

The Duke of York, 63, who was famously stripped of his royal and military honors by his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, is bidding to regain the state-funded protection from the British Home Office, and it seems as though former home secretary Priti Patel supports the move, according to a report.

The disgraced royal, who was barred from using his HRH (“His Royal Highness”) moniker following his alleged friendship with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, no longer has security and also lost his patronages last year.

Patel had emailed the King’s private secretary, Sir Clive Alderton, and asked him to consider reviewing Andrew’s security.

Patel, however, was forced to issue a groveling apology to King Charles this week after news of her approach about Andrew’s protection leaked.

“It is disappointing that this correspondence has been leaked into the public domain and I apologize to His Majesty for the embarrassment and difficulties the publishing of this correspondence has caused,” she said in a statement.

A royal expert has since slammed the ordeal, calling it “embarrassing” and “controversial.”

“The King will be deeply embarrassed by this — the issue is so controversial he won’t go anywhere near it,” royal biographer Ingrid Seward told GB News.

“Ms Patel should have known he has no power over these decisions. Her meddling was deeply unwise and deeply unfair on the King — and will damage Andrew’s cause, not help it.”

“And the bottom line remains, why should the public pay £3million a year to protect a man who rarely leaves his home?”

A strong rebrand is desperately needed for the Duke after a string of controversies plagued his reputation and caused him to suffer a catastrophic fall from grace.

While he is still a Royal Knight of the Garter and a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, he was told face-to-face by his mother that he would no longer be known as His Royal Highness.

The late monarch, who was 96 when she died in Sept. 2022, broke the news to the father of two at Windsor Castle in January last year. That same month, she also took away his military titles.

The retraction of Andrew’s official royal labels came amid his sexual assault case filed by Virginia Giuffre, who has long claimed that Epstein made her have “disgusting” sex with the royal three times, starting in 2001 when she was just 17.

Andrew’s lawyers say he “unequivocally denies Giuffre’s false allegations against him.” He settled the case out of court for an undisclosed sum last February.

With Post wires