MPS RECOMMEND SUBLETTING RESTRICTIONS AFTER ANDREW COTTAGE RENT DISCLOSURE

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor received rental income from cottages at Royal Lodge in Windsor, the Public Accounts Committee’s inquiry into the Crown Estate found. Accounts differ on the monthly amount, placing it at up to £2,000 or just over £2,000 before maintenance and expenses. The committee said Mountbatten-Windsor kept the income rather than passing it to the Crown Estate, his landlord. Its MPs recommended that future leases prohibit subletting unless the Crown Estate specifically agrees an exemption.

Mountbatten-Windsor took a 75-year lease in 2003 and paid about £7.5 million towards renovations and other charges, according to the inquiry. Accounts describe his subsequent rent as either absent or a peppercorn payment. James Chalmers, Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer to the King, said one royal household employee rented a cottage for most of the 22-year tenancy. Three cottages generated income for less than a year from late 2021, with rents below market rates. Chalmers said he had “not had access to the underlying documentation or historical records”, and the committee could not calculate total subletting income.

The committee also examined the financial settlement following Mountbatten-Windsor’s departure from Royal Lodge in February. He left following revelations about his connections to Jeffrey Epstein and has consistently denied wrongdoing relating to Epstein. The committee said surrendering the lease early entitled Mountbatten-Windsor to about £300,000, while repairs cost £1.8 million. It said King Charles paid the resulting £1.5 million balance on his brother’s behalf. Mountbatten-Windsor now lives on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk.