The disgraced Prince Andrew, now plain Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, will likely receive no compensation for his eviction from his royal accommodations.
With Jeffrey Epstein news still hogging the headlines, former Prince Andrew, now dubbed Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, is unlikely to receive the six-figure compensation payout he is expecting from leaving the Royal Lodge, says the Crown Estate Tuesday. As noted by the Independent, this comes as the former prince and Duke of York is evicted from the 30-room mansion on the Windsor Estate due to its state of repair.
The Crown Estate briefed the UK’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which examines the value of government projects and services, after an initial assessment of the Royal Lodge stated “in all likelihood that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor will not be owed any compensation for early surrender of the lease … once dilapidations are taken into account.”
Moreover, the Crown Estate said it doesn’t believe that any compensation will necessarily be paid to Andrew. He was set to receive the sum of £488,342.21 ($644,336), if “no end-of-tenancy repairs or dilapidations are required.”
King Charles announced in October that Andrew would be stripped of his royal title over the controversy on his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. At that time, he ordered his brother to move out of the property in Windsor Great Park, west of London.
The Royal Lodge has been Andrew’s home since 2003 and is surrounded by an estate of 40 hectares (99 acres). The mansion doesn’t sound much like a bachelor pad, as besides the 30 rooms, the estate also features a swimming pool, six lodge cottages, an aviary, a gardener’s cottage and lodging for police protecting the royals who stay there.
It was Andrew’s mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II that granted the third of her four children the right to stay in the lodge, which is owned by the Crown Estate. In 2003, the former Prince paid £1 million ($1,335,273) for the property. Under the term of its 75-year lease, formerly due to expire on Jun. 15, 2078, Andrew was expected to pay for any maintenance and repair work on the mansion and its surrounding park.
After his eviction from the property, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor will move to a property on the Sandringham estate around 100 miles from London, which is privately owned by and privately funded by King Charles. According to a royal source, the former prince is not expected to move into his new accommodations until after the Christmas holidays.
The news of his eviction comes as the PAC said Tuesday that an inquiry is to be launched into the Crown Estate relating to outstanding questions regarding Andrew’s lease agreement.
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, MP and chair of the PAC, thanked the Crown Estate and the Treasury for responding to the committee’s questions, adding: “Having reflected on what we have received, the information provided clearly forms the beginnings of a basis for an inquiry.”
The inquiry is set to examine the Crown Estate’s property leases with the Royal Family. This will include Prince Edward’s lease of Bagshot Park, close to Windsor. It will also explore the Thatched House Lodge, housing Princess Alexandra and her family, in Richmond, London.
