One shocking reason Prince Andrew ‘can’t be evicted’ from Royal Lodge | Royal | News
Prince Andrew faces further pressure to leave his Royal Lodge home this week after it was revealed he has not been required to pay rent for 22 years. The prince, who stopped using his royal titles on Friday after public pressure, has been living in the 30-bed Windsor mansion for more than 20 years.
But while it was always believed that the king’s brother paid the rent on the property, this week it emerged that this was not the case. Instead, the prince pays an annual “pepper rent” on demand, after initially paying £1 million when signing the lease for the house in 2003. The Crown Estate then agreed to spend £7.5 million on urgently needed renovations to the property.
While there have been calls for Andrew to leave the house, especially since new allegations have emerged about him following his past dealings with late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein – charges he denies – it is not as simple as the King giving him an eviction notice.
That’s because Andrew, who lives at Royal Lodge with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, has a “cast iron lease”, meaning he can stay at the property until 2078 if he abides by the terms of the lease.
The Daily Mail reportedProperty solicitor Mike Hansom, of BLB Solicitors, believes it will be impossible to evict Andrew.
The same view was echoed by estate agent Henry Sherwood, who believed Andrew could not be evicted from the house against his will.
Because there is no termination clause in the contract.
Prince Andrew issued a statement on Friday confirming that he will no longer use royal titles following continued allegations against him that are distracting from the work of the Royal Family. The prince has continued to deny the accusations against him, including allegations that he slept with Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre three times when she was 17.
He said in a statement on Friday: “In discussions with the King and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded that the ongoing allegations against me are a distraction from the work of Her Majesty and the Royal Family. As I have always done, I have decided to put my duty to my family and my country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stay away from public life.”
“We think that, with His Majesty’s approval, I must now go one step further. Therefore, I will no longer use my title or the honors bestowed upon me. As I have said before, I strongly deny the accusations against me.”
