Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie could be set for another bitter blow after their parents were stripped of their royal titles with their reputations left in tatters. The two siblings are said to be distancing themselves from their father Prince Andrew and mum Sarah Ferguson in light of the multiple scandals surrounding them in regards to their connections with Jeffrey Epstein.
One major talking point is their shared home Royal Lodge, where they reside together despite divorcing in 1996. For years, there have been questions regarding how the former couple have afforded to remain in their sprawling Windsor mansion.
However, it’s now emerged that Andrew has a 75-year lease of the 30-bedroom Royal Lodge, allowing him to live in the property until 2078. According to reports, it has been suggested that the King’s younger brother had hoped to keep the Lodge within the family, with plans to bequeath it to his two daughters.
Terry Fisher, from We Buy Any Home, explained: “Andrew’s long lease, reportedly lasting 75 years, shows that he’s invested significantly in Royal Lodge, giving him strong occupancy rights.
“He might hope to pass the property on to his daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, once he can no longer reside there.
“However, royal leases often include restrictions around succession, especially for properties intended to serve working royals.
“Such leases aren’t always straightforward inheritance-wise; transferring the lease to non-working members of the family could likely require the Crown Estate’s approval, especially under King Charles who might prioritise other uses for royal properties.
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“In other words, while Andrew has substantial rights under the lease, he may still face limitations in passing it on to family without special permissions.”
It seems highly unlikely that the King or his heir Prince William will afford Andrew any favours going forward.
It’s been well reported that Charles has been keen for Andrew to leave the Lodge and relocate to a smaller property for quite some time.
Last year, he also severed Andrew’s ‘£1 million-a-year’ allowance to ensure he was “no longer a financial burden”.
Meanwhile, Prince William is said to be determined to banish his disgraced uncle from royal life once and for all when he takes the throne.
It comes amid the shock revelation that the prince has not paid rent on Royal Lodge since 2003.
The leasehold agreement on Andrew’s grace and favour mansion was obtained by The Times amid calls for transparency over the residence.
It shows that Andrew’s rent has been set at “one peppercorn (if demanded)” per year since 2003. In legal terms, a “peppercorn rent” means rent in name only and is a symbolic amount included to make an agreement legally valid.
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This means Andrew has not paid any rent on Royal Lodge since moving in more than 20 years ago. The clause effectively allows the prince to live in the 30-room mansion rent-free provided he covers maintenance costs.
Documents obtained by the Times show Andrew paid £1M for the lease and at least £7.5M towards extensive refurbishments completed in 2005.
His 75-year lease agreement confirms that the Crown Estate would need to pay Andrew around £558,000 if he gave up the lease.
And he would be due a £185,865 a year compensatory sum until year 25 of the agreement is reached in 2028.
