- Prince Andrew hasn’t paid rent on his mansion, the Royal Lodge, in two full years.
- According to his lease, the disgraced royal has only given “one peppercorn (if demanded)” in rent per year since 2003.
- Andrew’s lease lasts until 2078 and the Crown Estate would have to pay him if they force him to leave.
Disgraced royal Prince Andrew might have given up his Duke of York title, but he’s still living large in The Royal Lodge, his mega mansion in Windsor Great Park. And, um, turns out Andrew hasn’t paid rent on the property in two full years. On top of that, his lease agreement lasts until 2078.
The Times got their hands on Andrew’s lease of the 30-room estate, and he has only paid “one peppercorn (if demanded)” in rent per year since 2003. Note: “peppercorn rent” is a phrase used for a nominal rent—literally one peppercorn.
While it is technically possible for Prince Andrew to be kicked out, his lease dictates that the Crown Estate would have to pay him £558,000, plus a “compensatory sum” of £185,865 a year until 2028.
As The Times notes, there’s been a lot of speculation about how Prince Andrew was affording to live in the Royal Lodge, but this whole “one peppercorn” thing makes it clear that he’s basically staying there for free. Meanwhile, King Charles is allegedly hoping Andrew will leave the Royal Lodge and move into Frogmore Cottage—the former home of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
As a reminder, Prince Andrew announced that he’d be giving up the title in the below statement on October 17:
In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family. I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life.
With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honors which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.cosmopolitan.com ’
