Andrew received up to £2,000 per month from sub-letting, watchdog reports
Summary
A UK parliamentary watchdog reported that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor received up to £2,000 a month from subletting cottages at Royal Lodge, despite paying no rent under his lease. The committee recommended banning subletting on Crown Estate leases by default and raised concerns about rents for non-working royals, regional investment and rising administration costs.Key Facts
- Mountbatten-Windsor held a 75-year lease on Royal Lodge from 2003 and paid about £7.5 million toward renovations and other charges instead of rent.
- He intermittently sublet three cottages at the property and kept the income; the Crown Estate said his lease allowed it and it did not oversee the amounts charged.
- The Public Accounts Committee said it could not calculate the total subletting income over his more than 20 years at the property.
- The committee recommended that Crown Estate leases prohibit subletting unless the landlord specifically approves it.
- After Mountbatten-Windsor surrendered his lease early, about £300,000 was due to him, but a £1.8 million repair bill left the Crown Estate owed £1.5 million; King Charles paid that amount on his brother's behalf.
- The committee questioned whether rents for non-working royals in Crown Estate properties reflected current valuations and called for a more consistent approach.
- The report said Crown Estate administration costs rose 129% since 2020-21 and chief executive Dan Labbad's pay package rose 106%; his 2025-26 package was worth £2.3 million.
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