A powerful Parliamentary watchdog dubbed the ‘queen of select committees’ is demanding both the Treasury and the Crown Estate explain Prince Andrew’s Royal Lodge lease
Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park during the 1980s
MPs are now demanding answers on Prince Andrew’s rent-free deal at Royal Lodge amid the “serious and disturbing allegations” against him.
The disgraced royal has been facing mounting calls to leave his 30-room Windsor mansion as the furore over his links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and the ‘peppercorn’ rent deal he has with the Crown Estate for the property, which means he has barely paid any for more than 20 years.
And now the powerful Parliamentary watchdog dubbed the ‘queen of select committees’ has demanded answers from both the Treasury and Crown Estate asking them to explain Andrew’s lucrative lease.
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Questions have been mounting over whether Andrew’s Royal Lodge deal means the taxpayer is missing out as profits from the Crown Estate are given to the Treasury for public spending.
Yesterday, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which looks into whether taxpayers’ money is being wisely spent, asked for “an update on the status of, and rationale for, the lease” for the lavish property.
In a letter, PAC chairman Sir Geoffrey Clifton Brown said: “There is considerable and understandable public interest in the spending of public money in relation to Prince Andrew, which in part stems from the fact that he is no longer a working Royal and from serious and disturbing allegations made against him.”
The Tory MP added that the Crown Estate has a duty to manage its land “according to the best consideration of money or money’s worth which in their opinion can be reasonably obtained”.
He went on: “We are therefore concerned as to whether the lease arrangements for Royal Lodge are, in light of recent developments and changes in the responsibilities of Prince Andrew, achieving the best value for money. They must also be justifiable in comparison to other options for the use or disposal of the property.
“It is also a matter of concern to the committee that the terms of the lease, including those relating to maintenance, are being effectively enforced to maintain the value and character of this nationally important royal residence.”
The PAC, which is tasked with ensuring efficiency and effectiveness when it comes to government spending, has previously played a pivotal role in investigating the PPE and Post Office scandals.
It said it will consider its next steps once it receives answers from the Crown Estate and Treasury, which have been given a deadline of November 28.
Andrew paid £1million for a 75-year lease of the Grade-II listed Royal Lodge mansion in 2003 and since then, he paid “one peppercorn” of rent “if demanded” per year.
The monarchy is facing mounting pressure to resolve the issues surrounding Andrew, with some MPs eager to debate the topic in Parliament.
Earlier this month, he relinquished his Duke of York title after accusations that he sexually abused Virginia Giuffre ahead of the publication of her posthumous memoir.
But the Prince, who has consistently denied the allegations, has failed to draw a line under the controversy, with the spotlight shifting to his living situation.
Andrew is said to be in talks with the King’s representatives about leaving Royal Lodge, where he has lived for more than 20 years despite his “cast-iron” lease. Reports have suggested he and ex-wife Sarah Ferguson have agreed to leave the property in exchange for two separate residences – Frogmore Cottage and Adelaide Cottage.
Amid the growing anger over Andrew’s living arrangements, the King was heckled as he met crowds outside Lichfield Cathedral earlier this week by a man in the crowd who shouted a string of questions, including “How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein?”
It comes after Andrew claimed in his infamous Newsnight interview that he ceased all contact with Epstein after visiting him in New York in 2010, when the pair were pictured together in Central Park.
However, it was alleged earlier this month, that Andrew emailed Epstein a year later in 2011, a day after the emergence of the now-infamous photo depicting Andrew with his accuser Ms Giuffre saying they were “in this together” – despite his claims that he cut contact. Convicted sex offender Epstein died in prison in 2019 while awaiting further trial.
Ms Giuffre’s posthumous memoir Nobody’s Girl, where she alleges she was forced to have sex with Andrew on three separate occasions, was released just days after Andrew agreed to give up his Duke of York titles. He denies all the allegations against him.
