<\/p>\n
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is unlikely to receive any compensation for vacating Royal Lodge before the end of his lease because the property is in such a poor state, according to information given to the Commons Public Accounts Committee by the Crown Estate.<\/p>\n
Andrew was entitled to \u00a3488,342.21 for ending his tenancy on October 30, 2026, but the former prince is unlikely to receive any of it due to the number of repairs needed, the Crown Estate said. <\/p>\n
MPs have launched an inquiry into Andrew’s lease arrangements with the Crown Estate after the Public Accounts Committee published letters from the Crown Estate and the Treasury on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The Crown Estate also provided MPs with details of other properties occupied by senior royals, including the Prince and Princess of Wales\u2019 new home Forest Lodge, which was leased on \u201cappropriate market terms\u201d.<\/p>\n
Andrew paid \u00a31 million for the lease of Royal Lodge in 2003, and then he paid an annual peppercorn rent. Andrew gave the minimum of 12 months’ notice that he would surrender the property.<\/p>\n Committee chairman Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said: \u201cIn publishing these responses, the Public Accounts Committee fulfils one of its primary purposes \u2013 to aid transparency in public-interest information, as part of its overall mission to secure value for money for the taxpayer.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving reflected on what we have received, the information provided clearly forms the beginnings of a basis for an inquiry. The National Audit Office supports the scrutiny function of this Committee.<\/p>\n \u201cWe now await the conclusions the NAO will draw from this information, and plan to hold an inquiry based on the resulting evidence base in the new year.\u201d<\/p>\n