Amid ongoing fallout surrounding Prince Andrew and his connection to Jeffrey Epstein, there have been renewed calls for him and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, to move out of their home at Royal Lodge.
Prince Andrew has paid “one peppercorn (if demanded)” in rent per year to the Crown Estate since 2003, the Telegraph reported last night. Sky News explains that “peppercorn rent” is “a legal term used in leases to show that rent technically exists, so the lease is valid, but it’s nominal, often literally £1 a year or just a symbolic amount. In practice, it means the tenant pays no rent.”
The Crown Estate is a collection of lands and holdings belonging to the British monarch, but it is not King Charles’s private property nor does he make decisions about its assets. The relationship between the monarch and the Crown Estate dates back to 1760, “when George III surrendered the management of Crown Lands to Parliament for a fixed annual payment.” Now, profit from the Crown Estate goes to the UK Treasury, who subsequently decide how much to pay the King, a payment called the “Sovereign Grant.”
The revelation about Prince Andrew’s rent “helps to explain how he and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson have been able to afford to remain in the sprawling 30-room estate, and will add to pressure on the prince to give it up,” per the Telegraph. Prince Andrew, who pays for upkeep on the property, holds the lease on Royal Lodge until 2078, and the Crown Estate would need to pay him around £558,000 (approx $747,000) if he gave up the lease. The BBC noted, “The King last year ended any financial support for his brother—and it still remains unclear how Andrew pays for costs such as security and the requirement to pay for the upkeep.”
There have been growing calls for Andrew to move out of a Crown Estate property. “It’s about time Prince Andrew took himself off to live in private and make his own way in life,” Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick told the BBC Radio 4 Today program. “He has disgraced himself, he has embarrassed the royal family time and again. I don’t see why the taxpayer, frankly, should continue to foot the bill at all. The public are sick of him.” When asked if Andrew should leave Royal Lodge, Jenrick said, “I don’t think the taxpayer in any way should be footing the bill for him to live in luxury homes ever again.”
In addition, Lisa Smart, the Liberal Democrats’ Cabinet Office spokesman, said, “Andrew has failed our King and Royal family and betrayed the values of the British people. The longer this whole sorry saga goes on, the more his presence in public life is an insult and increasingly an embarrassment. He should show some contrition by returning every penny of rent that he’s not paid while disgracing his office.”
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, celebrities, the royals, and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
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