It is one of the mysteries of the modern monarchy – and one that is under more scrutiny than ever before.

How on earth does Prince Andrew fund his lifestyle?

This is a man who has lived a life of luxury for decades, been an outcast for years because of his association with Jeffrey Epstein, yet has no visible means of financial support.

Even King Charles is said to be unsure about some of the sources of his brother’s income, particularly how he finds the significant sums of money needed to afford the upkeep of his home, the 30-room Royal Lodge.

The disgraced prince has been able to keep his financial affairs from the public for years through a mixture of the traditional secrecy which envelops the Windsors and the confidentiality of his dealings with wealthy, mainly foreign, people.

But the public furore over his alleged abuse of Virginia Giuffre may make it more difficult for him to justify the grandeur in which he has been living and to maintain the veil around his financial affairs.

The outrage has punctured the usually suffocating consensus within Westminster in which politicians refrain from publicly criticising the royal family. Keir Starmer has said he favours proper scrutiny of the prince’s housing arrangements, and a committee of senior MPs has now requested more details. Among those speaking out this week was Robert Jenrick, the Tory shadow justice secretary, who said: “It’s about time Prince Andrew took himself off to live in private and make his own way i