MPS CALL FOR CROWN ESTATE TO BAN SUBLETTING

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has called on the Crown Estate to prohibit subletting as standard after examining Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s rental arrangements at Royal Lodge. The cross-party committee said he received income from letting cottages on the grounds of his former home in Windsor Great Park. Its inquiry examined both the Crown Estate and properties managed by the Royal Household. MPs concluded that the Crown Estate “did not identify specific lessons from the Royal Lodge lease arrangement”.

The inquiry highlighted income of an undisclosed amount from three cottages while Andrew paid a peppercorn rent for more than two decades. The committee said Royal Lodge was then the only property occupied by a royal family member whose lease included an early surrender clause. MPs also called for the Royal Household to adopt a consistent policy for setting residential rents. They said Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie had adjusted rents, which the King paid, based on outdated open-market valuations for several years.

The committee also criticised the Crown Estate’s explanation of how it balances financial objectives with environmental and social aims. The Crown Estate’s profits go to the Treasury for public spending. Royal Lodge’s future use remains undecided, the inquiry material said. The PAC said the Crown Estate would “need to consider the lessons learned to inform future use and leasing arrangements for Royal Lodge”.