MPs warn Crown Estate over subletting after Andrew rental income

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 6 Nov, 00:27 · Archive

The Public Accounts Committee has recommended the Crown Estate prohibit sub-letting after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor received income from renting out cottages at Royal Lodge.

The Public Accounts Committee, a cross-party group of MPs, has recommended the Crown Estate prohibit sub-letting as standard practice. The recommendation followed its inquiry into the Crown Estate and properties managed by the Royal Household, prompted by Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor receiving undisclosed income from renting out three cottages in the grounds of Royal Lodge, a Crown Estate property in Windsor Great Park, while paying a peppercorn rent for over two decades.

The committee concluded the Crown Estate 'did not identify specific lessons from the Royal Lodge lease arrangement' and described it as 'reluctant to discuss specifics on how it is applying lessons learned from this process'. The MPs noted Royal Lodge was the only property occupied by a member of the royal family with an early surrender clause.

The committee also called for the Royal Household to implement a consistent policy for setting rent in residential properties. This followed Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie having adjusted rents, paid for by the King for accommodation in royal palaces, based on out-of-date open market valuations for a number of years. The committee additionally criticised the Crown Estate for not clearly demonstrating how it balances financial objectives with environmental and social ones, noting administration costs had jumped 129 per cent since 2020-21 and the chief executive's salary had increased 106 per cent over the same period.

How it is being reported

• MPs warn Crown Estate over sublets after disgraced Andrew pocketed Royal Lodge rental cashMPs on the influential Public Accounts Committee had launched an inquiry into the Crown Estate after it emerged Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor had rented out cottages at his former Royal Lodge homeThe Mirror · 6 Nov, 00:04
• Crown Estate must look at lessons learned on Andrew’s Royal Lodge lease, MPs sayNew details were revealed by the Public Accounts Committee about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s subletting on the estate.Evening Standard · 6 Nov, 00:01

In this story: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor · Princess Beatrice · Princess Eugenie · Public Accounts Committee · Crown Estate · Royal Lodge · Windsor Great Park

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