Prince Andrew has since moved from Royal Lodge in the face of public pressure to evict the Crown Estate-owned 30-bedroom mansion on the Windsor Home Park estate.
BBC reported on Tuesday 3 February that Andrew, 65, left the Royal Lodge on Monday 2 February. The former royal is staying at a temporary property on the Sandringham estate while her permanent home is being renovated, according to the outlet.
Andrew left Royal Lodge after living there for 22 years without paying significant rentaccording to a copy of his lease obtained by The Times in October The “peppercorn” rental deal began when he signed a 75-year lease for the property in 2003, agreeing to pay £1m for the lease plus renovation costs. (Andrew is understood to have paid £7.5m to refurbish the estate in 2005.)
According to the outlet, the deal meant that in return Andrew would not have to pay traditional rent.
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As his lease runs until 2078, it was unlikely that the Crown Estate would have been able to force him out of the Royal Lodge if Andrew had not agreed to evict him. BBC news reported in early October that Andrew independently holds a “cast iron lease” on the property.
With Andrew gone, the Crown Estate will have to pay the prince £558,000, plus a “compensatory sum” of £185,865 every year until 2028, according to The Times.
royal expert Christopher Andersen explained exclusively Us Weekly Earlier this month, Andrew staying at Royal Lodge would have given him some control over his destiny amid controversy surrounding his alleged association with Jeffrey Epstein.
“Gradually, since the Queen’s death, Andrew has come to realize that he might actually be kicked out of the royal fold,” Andersen said. “His titles, his privilege, his status mattered to him.”
Andrew’s decision to leave the Royal Lodge comes after he announced he was giving up his royal title as a result of his connection to the Epstein scandal.
“In discussion with the King and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded that the continued allegations about me distract from the work of Her Majesty and the Royal Family,” Andrew said in a statement. Us Weekly on Friday, October 17. “I have decided, as always, to put my duty to my family and my country first. I stand by my decision of five years ago to retire from public life.”
He added: “With Her Majesty’s agreement, we believe that I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honors that have been bestowed upon me. As I have previously stated, I strongly deny the allegations against me.”
Although Andrew has denied any wrongdoing involving Epstein, he did reach a private settlement with Virginia Giuffre in 2022 after she reported him for sexual assault. Giuffre had previously claimed that she had a sexual encounter with Andrew when she was underage. Andrew has denied the allegations. (Epstein and Giuffre committed suicide in 2019 and 2025, respectively.)