Royal Lodge
One of the estate houses at the Royal Lodge, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's former accommodation Wikimedia Commons / Windsor Great Park : estate houses, Royal Lodge / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0/Jim Osley

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has announced an official inquiry into the Royal Family's Crown Estate properties following mounting controversy involving Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and the 'peppercorn rent' he paid annually at Royal Lodge.

The move comes after public outrage at revelations that the disgraced former prince has lived in the grand Windsor residence almost rent-free for two decades. The probe will look into the properties' value for money to British taxpayers.

What PAC Wants to Know

The committee's MPs are challenging the Crown Estate to provide the details in making sure that it gets good value for the former prince's royal accommodation. Mountbatten-Windsor and his family have stayed at the luxurious 30-bedroom home inside a 98-acre pristine lot in Windsor Great Park almost rent-free since 2004.

The former royal pays 'one peppercorn (if demanded) per annum' under his lease, according to The Daily Mail.

Prince Andrew
AFP News

Since the Royal Lodge was being leased from the Crown Estate, all the profits should be returned to the British government for public spending. In October, PAC sent a demand for explanation to the Crown Estate regarding Mountbatten-Windsor's living arrangements, due to the allegations about him in connection with the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

Part of their letter said, 'There is considerable and understandable public interest in the spending of public money in relation to Prince Andrew, which in part stems from the fact that he is no longer a working royal, and from serious and disturbing allegations made against him.'

The committee also questioned why the former prince continues to live at the property, even if he is no longer a working member of the Royal Family.

On Tuesday, 2 December, PAC published the replies from the Crown Estate and the Treasury, and revealed their next steps.

Committee chairman Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown stated, 'Having reflected on what we have received, the information provided clearly forms the beginnings of a basis for an inquiry. We now await the conclusions the National Audit Office will draw from this information, and plan to hold an inquiry based on the resulting evidence base in the new year.'

No Refund for the Former Prince

The BBC reported that part of Mountbatten-Windsor's lease agreement entitled him to get £488,000 for a premature surrender of his 75-year lease.

Prince Andrew
Prince Andrew in 2013 Chatham House

However, the Crown Estate told PAC that due to the current state of the property, which is already dilapidated and in need of repairs, King Charles III's younger brother 'will not be owed any compensation.'

Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of all his royal titles and duties in October 2025 following the scandals and sexual abuse allegations connected to the Epstein case. He also lost the right to reside in the royal property after his removal from his royal duties.

PAC intends to start the inquiry into the Crown Estate's properties in 2026 to look into the leases of the Royal Family. However, it is still unconfirmed if Mountbatten-Windsor will be summoned to submit evidence or defend his claim for compensation over his former accommodation.

The fallen prince and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, are expected to move into a smaller accommodation at Sandringham, the private estate of King Charles in Norfolk, after the Christmas holidays.

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