Former Prince Andrew made money subletting cottages on his rent-free estate, report shows

By — Jill Lawless, Associated Press Jill Lawless, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/former-prince-andrew-made-money-subletting-cottages-on-his-rent-free-estate-report-shows Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Former Prince Andrew made money subletting cottages on his rent-free estate, report shows World Jun 5, 2026 12:31 PM EDT LONDON (AP) — The former Prince Andrew made money by subletting three cottages on the estate where he lived rent-free for two decades, according to a report on the royal family's properties released Friday by the U.K. public spending watchdog. It also disclosed that his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, live in rent-controlled palace properties paid for by their uncle, King Charles III. READ MORE: UK police renew call for witnesses as they broaden inquiry into former Prince Andrew The National Audit Office report said Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor received income from renting out the cottages on the Royal Lodge estate, his home near Windsor Castle for more than 20 years. A lease for Royal Lodge signed in 2003 shows he paid only a nominal fee known as a "peppercorn rent" for the property, which included a 30-room mansion and eight cottages, three of which he was allowed to sublet. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. The amount of income was not included in the report, an omission that Margaret Hodge, a Labour member of the House of Lords and former head of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee, said was concerning. "It's shocking that the National Audit Office was not able to establish how much money Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor secured from the properties he let," she said. The audit office review was carried out at the request of lawmakers after Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal titles and evicted from Royal Lodge by his brother, the king, following revelations about his friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mountbatten-Windsor moved earlier this year to the king's Sandringham Estate in eastern England. READ MORE: Queen Elizabeth was 'keen' for then-Prince Andrew to become trade envoy, documents show In February, the former prince, 66, was arrested and questioned by police about allegations of misconduct in public office. Mountbatten-Windsor has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, and has not been charged. The royals' housing arrangements The audit office report shows that 11 working royals receive free housing within palaces in return for their official duties. They include the king and Queen Camilla, Prince William and his wife Catherine, and the king's youngest brother, Prince Edward, and his wife Sophie. William and Kate also have a family home near Windsor, for which they pay rent of 307,200 pounds (about $413,000) a year. The rents on Eugenie's cottage in Kensington Palace and Beatrice's apart