The Daily Mail's Royal Editor Rebecca English thinks the crown will be looking for ways to "knock off a few pounds here or there" because "no one wants to see public money being paid to Andrew".
She said: "The suggestion is that the entire half a million pounds that he could have got back for having to leave his lease early could be swallowed up by the repairs.
"The truth is we don't entirely know yet because he's still living there and they're trying to assess it while he's there.
"They almost probably need him to move out before the surveyors can go around and have a proper look. If it was to be swallowed up it would be quite a happy solution because no one, not the king, not the crown, not the state or anyone wants to see public money being paid to Andrew because that would not be a good look."
Andrew was entitled to £488,341.21 for ending his tenancy on October 30, 2026. But the Crown Estate has said he is unlikely to receive any of the money due to the number of repairs the property needs.
A spokesperson for the Crown Estate said: "Our initial assessment is that while the extent of end of tenancy dilapidations and repairs required are not out of keeping with a tenancy of this duration, they will mean in all likelihood that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor will not be owed any compensation for early surrender of the lease… once dilapidations are taken into account.
"Before this position can be fully validated, however, a full and thorough assessment must be undertaken post-occupation by an expert in dilapidation."
Andrew took over a 75-year lease for Royal Lodge in 2003. He paid over £8.5m to cover renovation costs while he also paid in advance to remove any requirement for rent, based on a notional rent of £260,000 per year.
There was also a token "peppercorn" payment, which the Crown Estate notes is standard practice for long leases, where there's an advance payment in lieu of rent.
Andrew gave a year's notice to vacate Royal Lodge at the end of October so theoretically he could still at the property until October 30 2026. But it has been suggested he will move to the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk in the New Year.
It remains to be seen how Andrew will fund his lifestyle, leading to the possibility that he will be relying on the "generosity" of his brother for the rest of his life.
The Daily Mail's Diary Editor Richard Eden said: "I think all of us would miss half a million pounds. Remember in the future he is going to be dependent on the King's generosity. He's going to be living at the King's private estate, Sandringham, and given an allowance by his brother the king.
"So nice for him to have a bit of your own pocket money."
After Jo Elvin said this would be "humiliating" for Andrew, Rebecca suggested: "We don't know where he's getting his other sources of income from and it sounds like he might have no choice."
