Prince Andrew is facing more pressure to leave his Royal Lodge home this week after it was revealed he has not been required to pay rent for 22 years. The prince, who dropped the use of his royal titles on Friday as a result of public pressure, has lived at the 30-bed Windsor mansion for over two decades.
However, while it was always believed that the King’s brother was paying rent on the property, it has emerged this week that this is not the case. Instead, the prince pays a “peppercorn rent” per annum if demanded, after paying an initial £1 million when signing the lease for the home in 2003. He then agreed to spend £7.5millon on urgently needed renovations for The Crown Estate property.
While there are now calls for Andrew to leave the home, especially since further allegations about him have emerged following his past relations with the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein – accusations he denies – it is not as simple as the King handing him an eviction notice.
This is because Andrew, who lives at Royal Lodge with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, has a “cast iron lease”, which means he can stay at the property until 2078 if he adheres to the terms of the lease.
As reported by The Daily Mail, property lawyer Mike Hansom of BLB Solicitors believes it would be impossible to evict Andrew from the home.
This same view was echoed by estate agent Henry Sherwood who also believes that Andrew would not be able to be evicted from the home against his will.
This is because there is no break clause in the contract.
Prince Andrew released a statement on Friday confirming that he will no longer use his royal titles anymore following continued accusations about him that are causing a distraction to the work of the Royal Family. The prince has continued to deny accusations against him, including claims he slept with Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre three times when she was 17.
His statement on Friday read: “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. 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.
“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.”
