Prince Andrew latest: MPs pressure Crown Estate over ‘value for money’ of Andrew’s rent-free Royal Lodge life

“I look forward to giving away some of the Crown’s money to do good,” Virginia Giuffre wrote in her memoirs.

Reminder: Four days after the infamous 2019 BBC news night After the interview was broadcast, Prince Andrew resigned from public duties. The interview was seen as a disaster for him:

The Treasury insisted the Crown Estate was independent of the government and the King, after the Public Accounts Committee called on both the estate and the Treasury to tell them whether Andrew’s arrangements were providing value for money.

A Treasury spokesman said: “The Crown Estate is an organization independent of both the government and the Monarch.

“We will respond to Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown in due course.”

The Duke of Sussex has attacked social media companies, claiming they are “manipulating the mindset of our children and marketing it for themselves”.

Harry said in a podcast interview with US comedian Hasan Minhaj that there were “some malicious people at the heart of this” and when asked if he would become a US citizen, he said he had no plans at this point.

Duke, who has long campaigned to raise awareness of the harms of social media, told the Hasan Minhaj Doesn’t Know podcast: “People look to governments to protect themselves and yet there is this lawlessness in this industry.

“For them, where accountability slows down innovation, power and decision-making authority belongs to the minority, not the majority.

“The incentives are all wrong, the incentives are to keep kids online as long as possible, to cultivate and process your thoughts, your thoughts, and literally keep you there for as long as possible so they can make as much money as possible.”

A parliamentary committee has questioned whether Prince Andrew will still be living on Windsor Manor, a mansion for which he pays “pepper-hot” rent.

MPs’ Public Accounts Committee has raised concerns about the Crown Estate and Treasury managing the monarch’s public properties.

The cross-party parliamentary committee said it expected a response “at the earliest possible date” and set a deadline of November 28.

“At this point, it is reasonable for the committee to seek assurance that the rental justification justifies the minimum rent charged,” the letter said.

“There is a significant and understandable public interest in the expenditure of public money in relation to Prince Andrew.”

The intervention marks a significant change to the convention, which states MPs must not criticize the royal family in parliament, and could increase pressure for Andrew to move to a smaller property.

The King and Queen were adorned with flowers as they celebrated the 30th anniversary of a landmark Hindu temple with devotees.

Charles and Camilla wished worshipers a belated “Happy Diwali” (the Hindu festival of lights celebrated earlier this month) as they toured the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, popularly known as the Neasden temple, in west London.

A priest in flowing orange robes placed a wreath of roses and carnations around the King’s neck, while the Queen’s gift of flowers was presented by a senior female volunteer.