Editor's note: This brief was summarised by The Property AI Newsroom from a report by The Negotiator. Read the original article for full details.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Received Rental Income from Royal Lodge Cottages
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor received an undisclosed amount of rental income from sub-letting three cottages on the Royal Lodge estate, according to a report by the National Audit Office. The cottages are part of the Royal Lodge estate, which Mountbatten-Windsor leases from the Crown Estate.
The National Audit Office report did not specify the amount of rental income received. The lease agreement for Royal Lodge allowed Mountbatten-Windsor to sub-let three of the estate's cottages, and he did so until April 2026. The BBC reported that Palace sources suggested the cottages were rented to staff or retired staff, and that the rental income was only enough to cover running costs.
Mountbatten-Windsor paid £7.5 million for repairs when he took on the lease for Royal Lodge, which meant he did not have to pay a monthly rent. He left Royal Lodge earlier this year and moved to Sandringham in Norfolk, but retains the lease on Royal Lodge until October 2026. In addition to the main building, there are eight other properties on the Royal Lodge estate.
The National Audit Office report also revealed that the King pays the rent for accommodation in royal palaces for Mountbatten-Windsor’s daughters, Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice. Princess Eugenie has a property in Kensington Palace, and Princess Beatrice has one in St James’s Palace. Both are not working royals and do not pay rent for these central London residences; instead, the rent is paid by the “privy purse” (the monarch’s personal money) to the Royal Household. Both palaces are maintained by public funding through the Sovereign Grant.
A Palace spokesperson told The Negotiator that the Royal Household is committed to transparency and welcomed the National Audit Office report for helping to clarify arrangements regarding royal properties.
Source: The Negotiator