King Charles Drawn Into Major Trouble as MPs Look Into Andrew’s Controversial Lease Deal
King Charles has taken several strong steps to undo the damage brought upon the monarchy by Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Yet in a turn of events, he now finds himself drawn into the matter as well. New reports from Crown Estate, released to Parliament, indicate that MPs are preparing to examine the lease that allowed the former Prince to remain at Royal Lodge for more than two decades. The main aim of the inquiry is said to evaluate how the arrangement, as well as the lease itself, was handled. Even though the Crown Estate operates independently, its assets are held “in right of the Crown,” so any scrutiny of the lease is likely to reflect back on the sovereign.
On December 2, the Public Accounts Committee released letters from the Crown Estate and the Treasury, which had been asked to clarify the details of Mountbatten-Windsor’s Royal Lodge lease. Committee chairman Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said, "We would like to thank The Crown Estate Commissioners and HM Treasury for their considered responses to our questions.” He also explained that publishing the information will fulfill the committee’s mission “to aid transparency in public-interest information, as part of its overall mission to secure value for money for the taxpayer."
After reviewing the material, Clifton-Brown added that it “clearly forms the beginnings of a basis for an inquiry,” with further examination expected once the National Audit Officer completes its assessment. This new update arrives at a time when Mountbatten-Windsor has already been asked to vacate the Grade II-listed property. Even though he had a 75-year ‘cast-iron’ lease signed in 2003, his past association with Jeffrey Epstein badly damaged his royal standing, and on October 30, Buckingham Palace announced that he would be leaving Royal Lodge and surrendering the lease. Earlier reports suggested that he would be moving to a smaller residence on the Sandringham Estate by early 2026, but a legal technicality could now extend his departure.
The Crown Estate has now confirmed that on October 30, he served the minimum twelve months' notice to surrender the lease. This step gives him a full year before he is required to hand back the keys, meaning he could stay in the sprawling Windsor residence until late October 2026. Palace aides, however, believe the former Prince will shift to Sandringham as soon as his home is ready, though no firm date has been confirmed. Questions also surround whether Mountbatten-Windsor will receive any compensation when he finally vacates the 30-room residence.
Rob Shutter in his Substack previously revealed that the former Prince is asking for a $99 million compensation to ‘even think’ about leaving Royal Lodge. Under normal circumstances Mountbatten-Windsor would have been entitled to £488,342.21 ($620,000) if the property had been in good condition. But putting all those reports to rest, the Crown Estate officials have indicated that the mansion’s current condition may undermine any claim for the payout. As officials put it, "Our initial assessment is that while the extent of end of tenancy dilapidations and repairs required are not out of keeping with a tenancy of this duration, they will mean in all likelihood that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor will not be owed any compensation for early surrender of the lease… once dilapidations are taken into account."