"Prince Andrew should be called in front of MPs to give evidence about his lease of Royal Lodge, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has said. It follows calls for greater transparency into royal finances and the independently-run Crown Estate, which leased Andrew his mansion in Windsor. Sir Ed called for a select committee inquiry to "properly scrutinise" the Crown Estate, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer replying that it was important there was proper scrutiny of all Crown properties."
"The deal meant that instead of paying annual rent, Prince Andrew made large lump sum payments up-front, including for renovations. In effect, those payments - which totalled about 8m - meant he was buying himself out of future rent obligations for the duration of the 75-year lease. Part of the deal was that if he left early in the lease he could reclaim some of the money he had paid up-front, with that amount tapering down over time until 25 years"
Calls have been made for Prince Andrew to appear before MPs to give evidence about the lease of Royal Lodge. The Crown Estate leased the Windsor mansion and accepted large lump-sum up-front payments instead of annual rent, including about 8m for renovations, effectively buying out future rent obligations across a 75-year lease. The arrangement allows partial reimbursement if the lease ends early, tapering over 25 years to roughly 186,000 per remaining year until 2028. The Crown Estate is independently run, returns profits to the Treasury, and those profits factor into the Sovereign Grant, prompting calls for select committee scrutiny and greater transparency.
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