Overview
- Newly highlighted lease details show Prince Andrew has paid a peppercorn rent on Royal Lodge since 2003, with the property recorded as having a 'nil' value in National Audit Office reporting.
- A copy of the agreement indicates a 75-year lease signed in 2003, a £1 million upfront payment, and about £7.5 million of refurbishments completed by 2005.
- Compensation clauses mean the Crown Estate would owe Andrew roughly £558,000 if he surrendered the lease, plus £185,865 annually until 2028, complicating any move to dislodge him.
- Senior Conservative Robert Jenrick urged Andrew to give up the 30-bedroom Windsor residence and 'live in private', arguing taxpayers should not underwrite his accommodation.
- Chairs and members of the Treasury and Public Accounts committees signaled potential examination of the Crown Estate’s handling of the lease, as publication of Virginia Giuffre’s memoir renews scrutiny that Andrew rejects.