William 'will tighten rules around royal properties when he is King'
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Prince William is reportedly taking drastic action to make sure another situation like Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s doesn’t happen again, with the future King planning on tightening the rules around royal properties when he is on the throne.
According to The Sunday Times, the Prince of Wales, 43, intends to stop non-working royals from living in palaces rent-free or on peppercorn rents, as the former Prince Andrew did when he lived in the Royal Lodge for over two decades.
William is said to be taking action to prevent another "Andrew situation". Getty
His daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie also never paid rent on their homes in St. James’s Palace and Kensington Palace.
The rent was covered by King Charles′ private funds, while also being discounted at about 40 per cent below market value.
Andrew was also found to have sublet three cottages on his former Windsor home, despite paying next to nothing himself, a report from the National Audit Office (NAO) shared.
Thus, William will also be banning the subletting of these homes.
The heir’s recent actions seem to amount to his goal to make the royal family more relatable to the public.
He has even gone as far to publicly disclose how much he is paying for his family’s new home.
William, 43, and Catherine, 44, moved their three children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11 and Prince Louis, eight, into the mega-luxurious Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park last year.
The eight-bedroom property, estimated to be worth $33 million, will serve as the family’s forever home, with the royal couple securing a 20-year lease on the mansion at market rent.
Andrew's daughters Beatrice and Eugenie also failed to pay rent. AP
William and Kate reportedly plan to remain in their new home Forest Lodge after he becomes king. Getty
Before they moved in, the couple reportedly paid £42,000 ($78,000) in stamp duty, according to The Telegraph.
While stamp duty is a tax usually reserved for the purchase of a new property, in rare cases it can be charged for long-term or extravagant rentals – almost like a luxury tax.
The Prince of Wales reportedly paid the tax in July last year, the same day the lease was signed.
William and Catherine want to live in the sprawling home and adjoining gardens until at least 2045.
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