Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie’s Royal Inheritance Slips Away — And Dad Prince Andrew Is to Blame
The sisters’ future at Windsor hangs on lease terms, family politics, and Andrew’s increasingly troubled legacy.
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have long tried to step out of the shadow of their father’s scandals, but fresh revelations about Prince Andrew have dragged them back into the spotlight. And now at the eye of the storm is Royal Lodge, the Windsor estate where Andrew has lived for two decades, and which he intends to pass on to his daughters. It’s, however, not his to give away.
Andrew secured the sprawling Windsor property — where he and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, have lived since 2004 — with a 75-year lease on the home from the Crown Estate, reportedly with the intention of leaving it to his daughters. But in reality, the Estate doesn’t actually belong to him, and whether the Princesses could inherit it remains an open question.
The issue has resurfaced amid damaging claims about Andrew’s past behavior, detailed in a new biography, The Rise and Fall of the House of York. Historian Andrew Lownie, the author of Andrew's biography, claimed that during a 2006 trip to Thailand, more than 40 women were brought to the Duke’s hotel. “Hotel staff were used to foreigners bringing in girls, but amazed that more than 10 a day were going to Andrew’s room,” Lownie wrote, adding, “Often, as soon as one left, another would arrive.”
Commenting on the Royal Lodge issue, property experts note that it sits firmly within the Crown Estate, making Andrew more of a tenant than an owner. Raj Chohan of Golden Key Estates had earlier told GB News, “Royal Lodge is part of the Crown Estate. Since the Epstein scandal, Prince Andrew has been stripped away from royal duties, which would mean, as the Crown is funded through taxes and he is not now fulfilling formal duties, this would not form part of his Estate.”
Chohan added, “I would assume he is like a sitting tenant, paying £250 a week and maintaining the upkeep of the property that’s worth over £30 million.” Technically, Andrew’s long lease could allow him to pass the property down, but only if the Crown Estate’s directors agree to it. “As we don’t know the legal contracts, we would assume that they would take the property. For now, this is still part of the Crown Estate, and the board of directors would decide the long-term plans,” Chohan explained.
Andrew has, for now, managed to cling to Royal Lodge. After months of speculation about whether King Charles could push him out, reports suggest the monarch has effectively abandoned efforts to force Andrew into Frogmore Cottage. The Duke of York’s trump card is the 75-year lease he signed with the Crown Estate back in 2003, which allows him to remain in the property until at least 2028.
A Palace insider told The Express, “He has won the row,” confirming that Charles has backed down from the eviction attempt. Yet, as royal experts note, Andrew’s so-called victory is hollow. “This is a limited pyrrhic win,” royal commentator Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital. “He’s certainly not reclaiming any stature either in public or within his own family. His staying in Royal Lodge is simply due to his legal rights, not because of any goodwill or favor from the King.”
