Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie dealt £1.5m blow after Fergie move | Royal | News
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie may lose their family home, Royal Lodge, due to their parents’ links to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, but it won’t be the first home they have “lost”. The princesses’ father, Prince Andrew, has found himself in hot water again after more details emerged about his relationship with the late financier, forcing him to renounce his royal titles and honours.
Andrew made an explosive statement about two weeks ago denying any and all allegations against him. Now, despite the prince signing a private lease with the Crown Estate in 2003, he risks being evicted or forced out of his home following the outrage.
It wouldn’t be the first time their daughter faced housing loss.
In 1997, their mother Sarah Ferguson rejected a £1.5 million gift the late Queen Elizabeth gave her and her daughters.
The property in question, Birch Hall in Surrey, was purchased by trustees acting on behalf of the late Queen as the future home of Fergie and her two daughters following her divorce from Prince Andrew in 1996.
However, Fergie refused to move, saying she could not afford the maintenance and running costs of the property.
The Grade II-listed manor house has seven bedrooms, four bathrooms, five living rooms, a swimming pool, tennis court and its own gym.
After remaining vacant for two years, the property was sold for £1.5 million in 1999.
It was later renovated and listed for £4.3 million in 2016, before selling for £3.9 million.
Andrew Russell, of estate agent Strutt and Parker, told the Daily Mail: “The owners bought it from trustees acting on behalf of the Queen in 1999. The trustees bought it for the princesses in 1997 and I think it was chosen because it was a beautiful house in a popular village and the gardens provided a real charm, more like a parkland. But they never moved.”
He added: “There aren’t many coming on the market. It’s a proper country house with five acres of land.
“The house itself is a very attractive and imposing-looking property. Some of the rooms are truly impressive, with high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling sash windows. There is a swimming pool, tennis court and beautiful Victorian trees in the garden.”
