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Lease Details Lay Bare Prince Andrew’s Near-Free Royal Lodge Deal, Prompting Political Pressure to Oust Him

An unredacted contract confirms peppercorn rent with a set payout for quitting, leaving any removal constrained by the Crown Estate’s independence.

Overview

  • Newly disclosed terms show a 75-year lease signed in 2003 that runs to 2078 with rent set at one peppercorn if demanded.
  • Prince Andrew paid about £1 million for the lease and more than £7.5 million on renovations and is obliged to fund ongoing upkeep.
  • The contract provides for roughly £558,000 in compensation if he gives up the lease now, paid at about £185,000 a year until 2028.
  • Senior politicians are urging him to vacate Royal Lodge, though the Prime Minister’s spokesman notes the Crown Estate is statutorily independent and operates commercially.
  • King Charles has sought to move his brother, yet eviction remains legally and politically complex; Andrew has said he will stop using his title but remains the Duke of York.