A newly revealed royal housing scheme involving the former ‘Prince’ Andrew has been labelled “outrageous”; fresh details have revealed that Andrew was subletting multiple royal properties for an undisclosed sum.
The revelations come from the National Audit Office (NAO) – which is the UK’s public spending watchdog – after it published the first major deep-dive on royal residences in 20 years. The report was commissioned following scrutiny of Andrew’s finances and property arrangements and will now be examined by MPs.
One of the most talked-about findings concerns Royal Lodge, Andrew’s former Windsor home that he was ceremoniously booted out of by King Charles following fallout from the Epstein scandal.
According to the report, the lease for the sprawling estate included three cottages that he was allowed to rent out. The BBC states that Andrew rented out the properties until April 2026 and received rental income from them. Side hustle, anyone?
The report does not reveal how much money was involved, and it makes clear there is no suggestion of wrongdoing by Andrew. However, critics have questioned the arrangement because any rental income went directly to him rather than the Crown Estate.
Former Home Office minister Norman Baker described some of the housing arrangements revealed in the report as “outrageous”, arguing that the public was “being taken for a ride”.
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Baroness Margaret Hodge, a former chair of the Public Accounts Committee, also said it was “shocking” that the watchdog had been unable to establish how much money Andrew received from the properties.
Palace sources told the BBC that the cottages were rented to staff or former staff members and that the income only covered the costs of running and maintaining the properties, rather than generating significant profit.
The report also sheds light on the wider housing arrangements enjoyed by members of the Royal Family, highlighting that Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie (Andrew’s daughters), who are not working royals, have accommodation within royal palaces in London, with rent paid through the Privy Purse, which comes from the King’s private income.
Buckingham Palace has said the report reflects the royal family’s commitment to transparency. A spokesperson said: “We hope that the findings will help correct, clarify or contextualise a number of points regarding royal properties.
“As the report notes, arrangements for properties managed by the Royal Household vary based on a number of factors to ensure residences are filled appropriately, depending on their location, tenants and purpose.”
A Crown Estate spokesperson added that it “welcomes the National Audit Office’s review which confirms its leases with members of the royal family were agreed in line with independent, professional advice and open market valuations.”
Even so, the findings have reignited debate about royal finances and housing arrangements…
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.cosmopolitan.com ’
