Britainupdated 42m ago2 min read
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Receives £302,000 Compensation After Royal Lodge Lease Surrender
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor received £302,000 in compensation after surrendering Royal Lodge lease. The Crown Estate confirmed the lease ended more than 50 years early.
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Compensation for early surrender
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor received £302,000 in compensation after the Crown Estate said his lease on Royal Lodge in Windsor was officially surrendered. The Crown Estate said Andrew paid £1.8m in repair and restoration costs and that the lease was handed back more than 50 years early. The Crown Estate spokesperson said, "The lease for Royal Lodge has ended and our focus now is firmly on its future use and the opportunities to generate additional financial value for the nation from its early return."
“The lease for Royal Lodge has ended and our focus now is firmly on its future use and the opportunities to generate additional financial value for the nation from its early return.”
The Crown Estate said Andrew was entitled to compensation because, as per the terms of his lease, he surrendered it within the first 25 years. The Crown Estate said Andrew moved out of Royal Lodge and is now living on the Sandringham Estate.
Repairs, deductions, and legal fight
The Crown Estate confirmed that Andrew surrendered his lease and fully vacated Royal Lodge, and it said he paid £1.8 million to cover outstanding repairs on the property. The Crown Estate deducted the £302,000 entitlement from his repair bill, leaving a net payment of £1.5 million to the estate. The Crown Estate said Andrew was entitled to compensation because the lease terms allowed him to claim compensation for ending the agreement early.
The High Court heard Andrew and Thames Valley Police agreed that raids of two of the former prince's properties were unlawful, after Andrew launched a legal challenge to quash the warrants. The Guardian reported that Mr Justice Hilliard said Thames Valley police had conceded they obtained the search powers under the wrong statutory provision and ruled that the warrants were unlawful.
Why the lease ended
King Charles III forced Andrew out of Royal Lodge last year, and the Crown Estate said the move came amid scrutiny over Andrew's friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Guardian said Andrew moved into Marsh Farm on the king's Sandringham estate in Norfolk, amid public outcry about the rent he paid on Royal Lodge. The National Audit Office investigation in June revealed that the late queen’s second son received an undisclosed private income from subletting three cottages on the Royal Lodge estate while paying a peppercorn rent for more than two decades.
“He paid £1.8 million to cover outstanding repairs on the property.”
The Guardian said the former prince brought a judicial review of the legality of the force’s actions and those of the central criminal court, and it said the criminal investigation into the former Duke of York is ongoing. The Crown Estate said it is now considering the property’s future use to generate additional financial value for the nation from its early return.