Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor appears unlikely to receive a penny when he finally leaves Royal Lodge in Windsor, according to details released by the Public Accounts Committee. The former Duke of York could have been in line for almost half a million pounds for giving up his 75-year lease early, but that hope has now evaporated.
A report prepared by the Crown Estate for MPs says the property has fallen into such poor condition that in “all likelihood” Andrew “will not be owed any compensation”. The place is described as so run down and in need of repairs that the clause allowing him to reclaim part of his upfront costs is effectively void.
The committee’s chair, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, said the Crown Estate’s evidence “clearly forms the beginnings of a basis for an inquiry”. MPs will start looking into the Crown Estate and its arrangements with the Royal Family next year. It is still unclear whether Andrew will be asked to give evidence.
The Crown Estate also confirmed that Andrew handed in his notice for Royal Lodge on 30 October, the same day it was announced he had lost his titles. He gave a year’s notice, meaning he could technically stay until late next summer, but the expectation is that he will decamp to Sandringham early in the new year.
There was another small revelation. Despite selling Sunninghill Park in Berkshire back in 2007, Andrew still holds the lease to part of the old estate. The Crown Estate says he remains the leaseholder of East Lodge, which has its own separate agreement and has been used for a “member of staff”.
MPs on the committee had been pushing for clarity on Andrew’s financial arrangements at Royal Lodge, especially whether taxpayers’ interests were properly protected. Andrew took on the 75-year lease in 2003, paying more than £8.5 million upfront to cover renovations and paying in advance to avoid yearly rent. The notional rent was set at £260,000 a year. There was also a symbolic peppercorn payment, which the Crown Estate says is normal for long leases of this kind.
A clause allowed Andrew to claim back some of what he had paid if he moved out within 25 years, but only if the property had been properly maintained. The report says that while the state of Royal Lodge is not unusual for a tenancy of this length, the cost of fixing the “dilapidations” wipes out any chance of compensation, reported CNN.
The Crown Estate insists the original lease was “fair, reasonable and in line with market practice”. The spending watchdog also released details about Forest Lodge, now home to the Prince and Princess of Wales. They have taken a 20-year lease and are paying an “open market rent” set by independent valuers.
Pressure on Andrew to vacate Royal Lodge has been mounting for over a year, in what became known as the Siege of Royal Lodge. King Charles withdrew financial support, but Andrew held firm thanks to his private lease. That changed after sustained public anger over his links to Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew lost his titles and his HRH status, becoming Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and it was announced he would leave Royal Lodge and relocate to accommodation on the Sandringham estate.
He has also been urged by Democrat members of the US Congress to give evidence to a committee investigating Epstein’s activities. Mr Mountbatten-Windsor had not responded before the deadline passed last month.
