According to Prince Andrew‘s recently revealed lease, he has not paid rent on his Windsor mansion for two decades.
A copy of a leasehold agreement for the Royal Lodge was obtained by The Times, which revealed that Prince Andrew, 65, has paid “one peppercorn (if demanded)” in rent per year since 2003. Andrew and his family, including ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, can live in the property until 2078.
It was previously reported by The Independent that Andrew paid £1 million (approximately $1.6 million) for the lease on the property in addition to around £7.5 million (approximately $11.6 million) for refurbishments in 2005, according to The Crown Estate’s tenancy agreement. The Crown Estate would need to pay Andrew £557,595 (approximately $746,285) if he gave up his lease and he would be due a “compensatory sum” of £185,865 (approximately 248,761) a year until reaching the 25th year of the agreement in 2028.
Renewed questions into Andrew’s living arrangements surfaced after he announced in a statement released by Buckingham Palace on Friday, October 17, that he will no longer use his royal title. (The decision came amid a resurgence in discussion about Andrew’s scandal with late convicted billionaire sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.)
How Is Prince Andrew Connected to the Jeffrey Epstein Scandal? Timeline
“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,” he said in the statement. “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.”
Andrew continued: “With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
Author Robert Hardman previously claimed in 2024 that King Charles II requested the Keeper of the Privy Purse to halt Prince Andrew’s £1 million (approximately $1.3 million) annual personal allowance and to stop paying for his personal security. The Sunday Times later reported that Prince Andrew raised enough money to continue living at the Royal Lodge.
Andrew’s connection to Epstein and future within the royal family has made headlines since 2019 when Virginia Giuffre alleged that she and Andrew had a sexual encounter when she was 17 years old.
Prince Andrew’s Ups and Downs Leading Up to Losing Royal Title
In an infamous interview, Andrew denied on BBC’s Newsnight that he ever met Giuffre. A photo subsequently surfaced showing Andrew, Giuffre and Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Andrew later stated that he hadn’t spoken with Epstein since 2010 but emails resurfaced showing communication throughout 2011.
After going public, Giuffre sued Andrew for sexual abuse in 2021 and they settled out of court for an undisclosed sum. He has continued to deny the allegations against him. Giuffre died by suicide at age 41 earlier this year. Her memoir, Nobody’s Girl, which was released posthumously on Tuesday.
“In the years since, I’ve thought a lot about how he behaved,” she wrote, according to an excerpt from The Times. “He was friendly enough, but still entitled — as if he believed having sex with me was his birthright.”
