Kemi Badenoch has declined to endorse Robert Jenrick’s suggestion that Prince Andrew should leave Royal Lodge.
The Conservative leader was asked on Thursday whether she agreed with her shadow justice secretary’s criticism of the King’s brother, and replied: “I’m the Leader of the Opposition, he’s not the Leader of the Opposition.”
Mr Jenrick, who has attracted speculation about his ambitions since standing for the party leadership last year, had said Andrew should live in private without any taxpayer subsidies.
Asked whether she agreed, Mrs Badenoch told the PA news agency: “I don’t comment on royal matters.”
Pressed on whether Mr Jenrick was out of step with the party line, she repeated: “I don’t comment on royal matters.
“I’m the Leader of the Opposition, he’s not the Leader of the Opposition.”
The shadow justice secretary had said on Tuesday that Andrew had “disgraced himself, he’s embarrassed the royal family time and again” and “the public are sick of him”.
“I think that its about time Prince Andrew took himself off to live in private and make his own way in life,” Mr Jenrick told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“I don’t see why the taxpayer, frankly, should continue to foot the bill for him at all. The public are sick of him.”
Asked whether Andrew should be evicted from Royal Lodge, Mr Jenrick said he did not know the “ins and outs” of the lease but insisted the prince should not be allowed to “live in luxury homes ever again” at the taxpayers’ expense.
He added: “I think the King deserves great respect and admiration for the way he’s handled this.
“It’s very difficult to handle a family matter in this way but he’s trying to do his absolute best to ensure that Prince Andrew now goes off, leads a quiet life and doesn’t embarrass himself, the royal family or our country ever again.”
Calls have intensified for Andrew to give up the 30-room Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park after it emerged he paid a “peppercorn rent” for more than 20 years.
MPs have also demanded greater transparency over royal finances, and Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee is to write to the Crown Estate and the Treasury to raise “a number of questions” about Andrew’s lease on the property.
Revelations in the posthumous memoir of Andrew’s sex accuser Virginia Giuffre have placed increasing pressure on the King’s brother, who announced last week he would stop using his Duke of York title.
But Downing Street has said MPs will not be given parliamentary time to discuss his conduct because the royal family wants Parliament to focus on “important issues”.
The Commons could only discuss his friendship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and his rent-free mansion if there was a formal motion, and the Government controls the bulk of parliamentary time.
“We support the decision made by the royal family and we know the royal family would not want to take time from other important issues,” a No 10 spokesman said.
Only legislation can formally remove his dukedom, which is now held in abeyance.
