With damning details of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s lease at the Royal Lodge revealed, the Prince and Princess of Wales have had their own agreement with the Crown Estate aired
With an inquiry expected to be launched into the Crown Estate and other members of the Royal Family’s residences, Prince William and Princess Kate have been caught in the crossfire, having the details of their own lease aired.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, along with their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, relocated from their humble home of Adelaide Cottage to the grand Windsor residence of Forest Lodge in the October half-term break. While Forest Lodge is just a short drive from the Royal Lodge – where Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor remains as he awaits his imminent eviction – their leases are vastly different.
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In October, Parliament’s spending watchdog raised concerns over the value for money of Andrew’s living arrangements amid fury over his “peppercorn” rent for Royal Lodge. It emerged the disgraced former prince 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.
In contrast, it has emerged that William and Kate hold a “a 20-year non-assignable lease with The Crown Estate for Forest Lodge, commencing 5 July 2025” and have “open market rent”.
After discussions with the Royal Household, the Crown Estate commissioners were asked to consider the lease of the Grade II-listed mansion for William and Kate for use as their “primary private residence”.
“Negotiations were conducted on an arm’s length basis, to ensure appropriate market terms were agreed,” the Crown Estate said.
It said independent valuers from Hamptons and Savills estate agents were appointed to value the property, and William and Kate received independent legal and property advice, as did the Crown Estate.
“The lease for the Property was concluded on a 20-year Common Law Tenancy at an open market rent subject to standard Landlord & Tenant repairing obligations. The rent was assessed by Savills and Hamptons acting on behalf of the Crown Estate. Knight Frank acted for TRH’s The Prince and Princess of Wales,” the Crown Estate said.
The details of William and Kate’s lease came to light after the Public Accounts Committee, dubbed the ‘queen of select committees’ demanded answers from both the Treasury and Crown Estate asking them to explain Andrew’s lucrative lease.
Earlier today, the committee revealed it would be holding an inquiry into the estate and the leases it has agreed with other members of the Royal Family.
The inquiry will be based on the contents of the letters from the Crown Estate and Treasury and work from the National Audit Office updating its 2005 report, ‘The Crown Estate – Property Leases with the Royal Family’.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was booted from the Royal Lodge after allegations continued to emerge about his decades-long friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The disgraced royal will spend Christmas at his Royal Lodge mansion in Windsor, before he is booted out of the property in the New Year and relocated to a much smaller property on the King’s private Sandringham estate.
