Overview
- Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee will open a formal inquiry in the new year with National Audit Office support after releasing Crown Estate and Treasury correspondence.
- The Crown Estate told MPs a 12 November inspection identified dilapidations that in all likelihood wipe out any early-surrender compensation, subject to a full post-occupation assessment.
- Andrew’s 2003 agreement granted a 75-year lease after a £1 million premium and substantial refurbishment spending in return for a peppercorn rent and full maintenance obligations.
- He served notice on 30 October 2025 to surrender the lease effective 30 October 2026; without repair costs, documents indicate he would have been due £488,342.21.
- The estate disclosed that the Prince and Princess of Wales hold a 20-year, non-assignable Forest Lodge lease at open market rent, contrasting with Andrew’s peppercorn terms.