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Prince Andrew Earned Private Income From Subletting Royal Cottages, Auditors Reveal
🇸🇬 Singapore /Culture & Society

Prince Andrew Earned Private Income From Subletting Royal Cottages, Auditors Reveal

From CNA · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Disgraced ex-prince Andrew sublet royal cottages for private income while living in the Royal Lodge, according to government auditors.
  • He paid a symbolic "peppercorn rent" for the mansion and pocketed proceeds from subletting three cottages on the grounds.
  • The report also revealed that Andrew's daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, have their royal palace rents paid from King Charles's private income despite not being working royals.

Britain's disgraced former prince Andrew generated private income by subletting royal cottages while occupying the Royal Lodge for over two decades, paying only a nominal "peppercorn rent" for the mansion. This revelation comes from a report by government auditors released Friday.

The National Audit Office (NAO) report, which examined the royal family's residences, was prompted by controversy surrounding Andrew's living arrangements after his removal from public life due to his association with Jeffrey Epstein. The report sheds new light on the finances of the royal family.

We do not know what rent was charged.

— National Audit OfficeThe auditors stated their lack of knowledge regarding the specific rental income Prince Andrew received from subletting cottages on the Royal Lodge grounds.

While residing in the 30-room Royal Lodge rent-free, Andrew reportedly collected proceeds from subletting three cottages located on the estate's grounds. Auditors noted they were unaware of the specific rental amounts charged, and the cottages have been vacant since April.

The royal family is yet again taking the public for a complete ride.

— Norman BakerA lawmaker for the centrist Liberal Democrats and a critic of royal finances, commenting on the revelations about Prince Andrew and other royal arrangements.

Further details from the report indicate that Andrew's daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, receive rent for their apartments in royal palaces, with payments covered by King Charles III's private income, despite neither princess being a working royal. Lawmaker Norman Baker criticized these arrangements, stating the royal family is "taking the public for a complete ride."

The NAO's findings come amid ongoing scrutiny of the monarchy's opaque finances. Parliament's Public Accounts Committee plans to investigate royal properties, and Margaret Hodge, a former chair of the committee, expressed shock at the NAO's lack of knowledge regarding Andrew's subletting income. Andrew has since moved from the Royal Lodge.

shocking

— Margaret HodgeA Labour peer who previously chaired Parliament's Public Accounts Committee, reacting to the NAO's admission of not knowing how much money Prince Andrew made from subletting.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by CNA in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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