UK audit finds royal estate subletting and rent payments

A National Audit Office report has revealed that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor generated private income for over two decades by subletting properties on a royal estate while paying minimal rent for his own residence. The investigation into royal property arrangements also found that King Charles uses his private income to pay the rent for his nieces, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, who are not working members of the royal family.

The report, published by the UK's independent public spending watchdog, examined leases held with The Crown Estate and the Royal Household. It found that Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Duke of York, held a lease for the 30-room Royal Lodge in Windsor since 2003. The lease required a 1 million pound upfront payment and a commitment to spend 7.5 million pounds on renovations, which was fulfilled. This established a nominal "peppercorn rent" for the main mansion and eight cottages.

Under the terms of his lease, Mountbatten-Windsor was permitted to sublet three of the cottages on the estate, with the income payable directly to him. The subletting ended in April 2026, and he moved out of Royal Lodge earlier this year, relocating to a property on the...