Prince Andrew did not directly own Sunninghill Park, his official residence between 1990 and 2004. The 12-bedroom house was given to him by the late Queen as a wedding present when he married Sarah Ferguson. Land Registry documents show Queen Elizabeth owned the property on a long lease, and appeared to have granted Andrew its use at no cost.
As reported by The Times, the freehold of Sunninghill Park was transferred into a trust, controlled by the Queen’s closest financial advisers, for £12,500. In 2007, the trust sold the property to an offshore trust belonging to a Kazakh billionaire for £15 million.
After falling into a state of disrepair, the property was demolished in 2015 and a new, lavish home was constructed, but nobody has lived in Andrew’s former home since the repairs – with some residents calling it “ugly”.
The Sunninghill Park home was demolished by Kulibayev, the billionaire son-in-law of then Kazakh president, Nursultan Nazarbayev before the reconstruction.
It is reported the property is currently empty, as metal shutters on the windows have remained down with large iron gates at the entrance. Five gardeners work at the property to maintain the grounds while a team of cleaners visit each month.
One neighbour told The Mail: “I don’t blame the owners for not wanting to live in it because it’s so horrible. I’ve heard that it’s very luxurious inside but what good is that if the outside is so revolting?”
Another neighbour told the publication: “It’s very ugly and looks like a large supermarket in an out-of-town shopping complex.
“It doesn’t fit in with the surrounding area and has completely ruined the view of a stunning park.”
A third said: “It looks like a supermarket or a large budget hotel. We’ve never seen or met the owner, or his family and the only people coming or going are the staff.”
The revelation shows how Andrew has lived in luxury for most of his adult life, thanks to Crown Estate properties.
Having lost his titles last week, the former Duke of York continues to reside at Royal Lodge, a home owned by the Crown Estate, on the Windsor Home Park estate.
It is reported the youngest son of the late Queen and Prince Philip has not paid full rent on Royal Lodge for over 20 years.
A copy of the leasehold agreement for Royal Lodge, which was obtained by The Times, revealed that while Andrew paid £1 million for the lease plus at least £7.5 million for refurbishments (which were completed in 2005), he has paid only “one peppercorn (if demanded)” in rent per year, since 2003.
Prince Andrew has been under increasing pressure over his links with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and has faced a series of scandals – in the statement he reiterates: “I vigorously deny the accusations against me”.
Last week, the Prince said he would no longer use his titles, including Duke of York, after “discussion with the King”.