'Taking the public for a ride': Andrew's 'outrageous' move revealed

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has earned money from subletting properties in the grounds of his former home in Windsor, a watchdog report has revealed.

The former prince was able to sublet three cottages within the grounds of Royal Lodge under the terms of a long-running lease with the Crown Estate.

The National Audit Office report found the income from those sublets went straight to Andrew, though it did not disclose how much rent was charged.

It is the first report into royal residences in 20 years and it also revealed that King Charles III has been paying the rent for Andrew’s non-working royal daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.

First agreed to in 2003, the arrangement allowed Andrew to live at the 30-room Royal Lodge on a decades-long lease after paying a £1 million ($1,891,325) upfront premium.

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Because he also committed £7.5 million ($14,184,757) of his own funds to complete extensive property renovations, his agreement was set at a “peppercorn rent”.

The legal term refers to a symbolic, nominal payment used solely to keep a lease legally binding, meaning his annual rent was effectively zero or just one peppercorn, if demanded by the Crown Estate.

While the lease entitled him to sublet, the cottages were offered to staff, retired staff, or their families at rates intended only to cover ongoing maintenance and running costs, rather than to generate a profit.

Following immense public backlash over his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Andrew requested the early surrender of the Royal Lodge lease in October last year, ultimately vacating the mansion in February.

According to the NAO, the three sublet cottages have remained vacant since April 2026. Andrew now lives on the grounds of the private Norfolk estate at Marsh Farm.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said the report was “in line with the Royal Household’s commitment to transparency,” per the BBC.

The report also revealed King Charles pays the rent for Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, who are not working members of the Royal Family.

Their rent is paid through the Privy Purse, which refers to the King’s private income and estates, rather than the Sovereign Grant.

The arrangement was put in place by the late Queen Elizabeth II, but those costs are now met by the King, who also pays the rent for Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.

Norman Baker, former Home Office minister, said it was “outrageous to subsidise luxury accommodation” in this way and that the public was “being taken for a ride.”

“If you look at Andrew, this is adding insult to injury,” he said.

“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.

He added: “The money should have gone to the Crown Estate, not into (his) pockets.”

There is no suggestion of any legal wrongdoing by Andrew or the Royal Household within the National Audit Office report.