Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is back in the spotlight after The Crown Estate defended his former money-making arrangement at Royal Lodge. MPs heard the explanation when Crown Estate chief Dan Labbad appeared before the Public Accounts Committee on Monday (July 13).
The row centres on Andrew’s old living deal. He paid a “peppercorn rent” to live at Royal Lodge. At the same time, he sub-let properties on the site for profit.
Royal Lodge is a large house in Windsor Great Park. It has long been associated with senior members of the royal family.
- It sits within the Crown Estate’s Windsor holdings.
- The property has also included cottages and other buildings within its grounds.
- Questions over occupation and lease terms have repeatedly drawn public attention.
Why Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s Royal Lodge deal is causing fresh outrage
Dan Labbad defended the arrangement in front of MPs. He said: “Those potential income streams were taken into account in determining what best value was at the time.”
He also insisted that the process is fairly commonplace. Even so, the hearing dragged the controversial setup back into public view.
Officials did not reveal the exact amount Andrew earned from sub-letting. But James Chalmers, the King’s keeper of the privy purse, said those figures could be obtained in the future.
Critics did not hold back over Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
MPs have voiced concern about the arrangement before. Former Liberal Democrat minister Norman Baker delivered the fiercest criticism.
He argued that profits from the cottages should have gone back to The Crown Estate. Instead, he said Andrew kept the benefit private.
Baker said: “The whole thing is outrageous. It shows an absolute total contempt for the taxpayer, not only that Andrew was able to have a peppercorn rent for a gigantic property, but then to make potentially millions on the side from subletting properties.”
Those remarks have added fresh heat to a long-running row. They also raise wider questions about royal housing and value for money.
His new home may raise even more eyebrows
Andrew now appears to live rent-free on King Charles’ private Sandringham Estate. That home does not belong to The Crown Estate.
He is understood to live at Marsh Farm. The property is a former working farmhouse with several outbuildings and stables in the grounds.
A peppercorn rent is a very low or purely nominal rent used in some lease agreements.
- It is often set at a token amount rather than a market rate.
- The term does not automatically mean a lease is improper, but it can attract scrutiny when public assets are involved.
- Value for money is usually judged by the wider terms of the agreement, including any obligations, restrictions or income arrangements.
Before he moved in, workers fitted lights and security cameras at the home. They also installed a new wooden fence around the perimeter for privacy and security.
While that work took place, Andrew stayed at nearby Wood Farm. Prince Philip used that property as his retirement home.
Other royal homes also came under the microscope
Attention has also turned to Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. King Charles covers the cost of their accommodation in royal residences through his private Duchy of Lancaster income.
Princess Eugenie lives at Ivy Cottage within the Kensington Palace grounds. Princess Beatrice has an apartment at St James’s Palace.
Both are non-working royals. Both also have homes with their husbands, which has sparked more debate over grace-and-favour residences.
The committee hearing has pushed Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s former property arrangements back into focus. Questions remain over how much he made and whether the deal truly offered value.
ED! has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.
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