By Elsie Kamsiyochi
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has moved to surrender the lease on another Crown Estate property, further untangling his long and increasingly scrutinised property arrangements.
The BBC understands that Mountbatten-Windsor has formally requested an early termination of his lease on East Lodge, a Grade II-listed cottage near Ascot in Berkshire. The picturesque 19th-Century, single-storey, thatched property sits roughly five miles from Windsor and close to his former residence at Sunninghill Park.
Documents seen by the BBC show that he had most recently been paying nearly £13,000 per year in rent for the cottage. The tenancy, which began in February 1998, originally cost £3,500 annually. Over time, the rent rose in line with inflation and periodic reviews. When the lease was renewed in 2020, he was paying just over £8,000 a year. A further review last summer increased the rent to £12,922.
A Property with Long Royal Connections
East Lodge was historically associated with the much larger Sunninghill Park estate, which had served as Mountbatten-Windsor’s home until 2004, when he moved to Royal Lodge in Windsor. Sunninghill Park was later sold in 2007 for £15 million in a controversial deal after being purchased for £3 million above the asking price by the son-in-law of Kazakhstan’s president.
Although Sunninghill Park changed hands, East Lodge remained under a separate lease agreement between Mountbatten-Windsor and the Crown Estate. The cottage is believed to have been used primarily as staff accommodation.
The Crown Estate, which manages a portfolio of properties and land on behalf of the monarchy, operates as an independent commercial body. Its profits are transferred to the Treasury, and it is required to obtain best value for the taxpayer. While the Estate oversees leasing arrangements, it has said that day-to-day occupancy of properties is considered a private matter distinct from the tenancy itself.
Growing Parliamentary Scrutiny
The decision to give up the lease comes as Members of Parliament prepare to examine royal property arrangements more closely. The Public Accounts Committee has announced an inquiry into leases granted by the Crown Estate, with chairman Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown stating that scrutiny would “aid transparency in public-interest information” and ensure value for money for taxpayers.
Mountbatten-Windsor’s property holdings and finances have increasingly attracted attention in recent years, particularly following renewed public focus on his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He has consistently denied wrongdoing.
The Crown Estate indicated that the request to terminate the East Lodge lease followed a Freedom of Information request submitted by the BBC in January regarding the property. In a statement, it confirmed: “Since then… we have received a request for us to consider an early termination of the lease.”
The lease had been due to run until July 2027. However, it will now conclude earlier than planned, although the final timeline will depend on practical arrangements for those currently residing at the property.
From Royal Lodge to Sandringham
The move to relinquish East Lodge follows Mountbatten-Windsor’s departure from Royal Lodge in Windsor. Last year, amid mounting criticism and the fallout from his links to Epstein, he stepped back from public life and was stripped of his honorary military titles and royal patronages.
More recently, he relocated from Royal Lodge to accommodation on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. The property there is owned privately by King Charles III, and the arrangement is understood to involve no cost to the public purse.
The combination of relinquishing Royal Lodge and now East Lodge suggests a continued scaling back of his formal ties to Crown Estate properties. While East Lodge represented a comparatively modest financial commitment when measured against market rents in the affluent Windsor and Ascot area — where monthly rental costs for similar homes can range from £2,000 to more than £7,500 — its existence nonetheless formed part of a wider and complex property picture.
A Changing Landscape
Mountbatten-Windsor’s evolving living arrangements reflect broader changes within the Royal Family as it navigates issues of accountability, public perception and financial transparency.
With parliamentary scrutiny looming and public interest in royal finances heightened, the termination of the East Lodge lease marks another step in a period of transition. Whether further adjustments to property or financial arrangements follow remains to be seen.
Mountbatten-Windsor has been approached for comment.
Source BBC
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