King Charles III paid $2 million to cover cost of ex-Prince Andrew's departure from Windsor estate

LONDON (AP) — King Charles III paid 1.5 million pounds ($2 million) to cover costs owed by the former Prince Andrew, his younger brother, after he was forced to move out of a crown-owned home near Windsor Castle due to his links to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.Charles loaned the money to his brother, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, out of his private income to ensure that the Crown Estate was paid on time, a person familiar with the payment said Friday.The revelation came after the Crown Estate, which manages crown properties, said Mountbatten-Windsor was charged 1.8 million pounds due to the dilapidated state of the property and received a credit of 302,000 pounds as compensation for the early surrender of his lease. That left him with a debt of 1.5 million pounds, which the king paid.The Crown Estate released the figures on Friday as it announced that Mountbatten-Windsor had fully vacated the Royal Lodge, a 30-room stately home surrounded by parkland near Winds