Royals in crisis at Trooping the Colour with protests planned and Meghan and Harry wading in

Royals in crisis at Trooping the Colour with protests planned and Meghan and Harry wading in EXCLUSIVE: Trooping the Colour highlights the pomp and pageantry for which the House of Windsor is known best, but a major cloud hangs over the event this year as the public demands answers Come rain or shine, this year's Trooping the Colour is taking place under a dark cloud - even if the royals try to continue with "business as usual". As a celebration of the monarch's official birthday, it's one of the biggest events in the royal calendar and showcases the best of the House of Windsor's pomp, pageantry and tradition. But this year, a long shadow has been cast over what should be an easy win for King Charles and the working royals. Last week a report on royal residences was released by the National Audit Office, and the findings sparked outrage. Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie were revealed to be enjoying subsidised rent on central London properties, with their uncle the King coughing up the cash for their homes. Both of the York sisters have their own careers and homes elsewhere, and 86 percent of Mirror readers who answered a poll said they believed it to be wrong that the King provides them with the free royal residences. But the shock didn't end there. The report also revealed that Andrew Mountbatten Windsor was allowed to sublet properties on the estate of his lavish former home Royal Lodge, which he vacated in early February after losing his titles. Andrew has now surrendered his long term lease to the mansion, for which he only paid a 'peppercorn' rent, which means it will be returned to the Crown Estate in October this year. The royals at large appear to be keeping their distance from Andrew and his disgrace, with only his younger brother Prince Edward said to have visited him since he moved to a more modest home on the Sandringham Estate. But despite holding the ex-prince at arms length, burning questions remain. At the end of May it emerged that the palace was given a huge cache of 30,000 emails which included information regarding Andrew's finances six years ago. These emails, it has been claimed, would have indicated that Andrew was sharing confidential information from his work as trade envoy - a position he held from 2001 until 2011. The archive of correspondence was "delivered to Buckingham Palace" in May 2020, when they were given to the Lord Chamberlain the most senior office in the royal household, high court documents show. It is not known what happened to the emails once they were given to the palace. As the Windsors put on their finery and get ready to appear at what is supposed to be a celebration of all things royal, protests have been planned by campaign group Republic. But historian and royal author Andrew Lownie tells the Mirror that he expects they will approach the major event as "business as usual". "The line is very much never explain, never complain, and they'll do the same," Lownie predicts. His comments come just weeks after he made new allegations about the York family in an updated version of his book, Entitled. The explosive new claims include that Fergie regularly used her daughter Beatrice's credit card to pay for things and once allegedly paid a psychic in cigarettes. Meanwhile, Andrew is alleged to have kicked his dog in the head at a royal shooting weekend, and the book also suggest that the late Queen used to "trash" Fergie behind her back. Despite the controversies, Lownie believes that the royals will "likely brush off any questions that are asked of them" on Saturday. "There may be some heckling, but I think they won't respond at those events." But the author warns that this approach may no longer be as effective as it once was. "I do think that we should get some fuller statement from them. Their reaction to the audit report, I think, is pretty mealy-mouthed. The very big answer we need is, what did they know about Andrew and why? What did they do with these 33,000 emails? Why didn't they deal with it?" "Since there is an ongoing police enquiry concerning Mr Mountbatten-Windsor, it is not possible to provide any comment on these matters," a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said regarding the emails. After Andrew's arrest in February the palace said they would 'support' the police's investigation. "The King has made clear, in words and through unprecedented actions, his profound concern at allegations which continue to come to light in respect of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor's conduct," a Palace spokesman said at the time. "While the specific claims in question are for Mr Mountbatten-Windsor to address, if we are approached by Thames Valley Police we stand ready to support them as you would expect." Meanwhile, Graham Smith from Republic tells the Mirror: "Our protests are increasingly important as they chime with growing public skepticism about the royals and anger about the perceived cover up of serious allegations. This year our focus at Trooping will be on the Andrew allegations as we again ask 'what did you know?' "Our aim is more about message than numbers, making sure that question is visible to the royals while they parade down the mall. Trooping is the key royal spectacle of the year and we're keen to ensure it doesn't go unchallenged." The scandal surrounding Andrew is not showing any signs of abating, with public outcry over his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein only increasing as the Epstein files saw more alleged details of their connection drip fed to the public. The arrest of the former prince on his 66th birthday on suspicion of misconduct in a public office saw him released pending further investigation - his homes were searched and some of his electronic devices seized by the police. With his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson going off grid, his relationship with his daughter, with whom he was once seemingly close, also appears to be damaged. It's even claimed that Eugenie did not tell her father directly that she is expecting a baby. Away from allegations that Andrew faces, the royals' finances have remained under the microscope. Elsewhere in the audit report, Details of Duchess Sophie and Prince Edward's lease with the Crown Estate for their massive estate, Bagshot Park, also came under scrutiny. The lease is held by a company, Eclipse Nominees Limited, and includes the right to sublet the entire property if the couple desire, with non of the funds generated by doing so returnable to the Crown Estate. "I think that's totally wrong," Lownie says. "If you're getting these special dispensations then the money should be going back to the Crown Estate, but that's the question for the Crown Estate rather than the Royal Family. He further claims: "The problem is that all these things are done behind closed doors." William and Kate, on the other hand, were revealed to be paying market rent for the home of Forest Lodge, and the future king is also reportedly considering making changes when it comes time for him to take the throne - particularly conscious of the optics surrounding non-working members of the family, and their living arrangements. An inside source close to Meghan and Harry tells the Mirror that despite the "challenges" that come with the couple's financial independence, in principle they support the new examination of royal residences and believe in transparency. "In some respects, it is undoubtedly more challenging," since the couple left the UK behind, the source explains. "They no longer have a Sovereign Grant to support them, nor access to multiple homes maintained at public expense, whether through rent-free arrangements or nominal rents. "But what they do have is an independent and entirely self-funded life - one that nobody else has to pay for and nobody else needs to worry about funding…unlike the Royal Family. Is it right that they, that working members of the Royal Family should have their finances scrutinised, absolutely. They should be treated the same as any other public institution or body." A palace spokesperson said of the NAO report: "We are grateful to the National Audit Office for this report, which is in line with The Royal Household's commitment to transparency. We hope that the findings will help correct, clarify or contextualise a number of points regarding Royal properties. "As the report notes, arrangements for properties managed by the Royal Household vary based on a number of factors to ensure residences are filled appropriately, depending on their location, tenants and purpose." And the Crown Estate said: "The Crown Estate welcomes the National Audit Office's review which confirms its leases with members of the Royal Family were agreed in line with independent, professional advice and open market valuations. We look forward to discussing the report further with the Public Accounts Committee in due course."