Prince Andrew has formally requested to end his lease on East Lodge, a Crown Estate property in Berkshire, reneging on another deal after leaving Royal Lodge.
Documents obtained by the BBC show that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor paid an annual rent of around £13,000 for East Lodge, which is located about five miles from Royal Lodge in Windsor. The property, a Grade II listed cottage, is believed to have been used for staff accommodation.
East Lodge is located next to Sunninghill Park, Andrew's former residence until 2004, before he moved to Royal Lodge. The sale of Sunninghill Park in 2007 for £15 million caused controversy, as the property was bought for £3 million more than the asking price of the son-in-law of the president of Kazakhstan.
Last year, Andrew announced he would leave Royal Lodge and move to Sandringham, amid controversy surrounding his relationship with American financier Jeffrey Epstein, of which he has denied any wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, leases for royal properties granted by the Crown Estate are set to be examined by the Public Accounts Committee in the British Parliament. The committee's chairman, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, has said the inquiry aims to increase transparency and provide value for taxpayers.
According to documents, Andrew first took out the lease on East Lodge in February 1998, with an annual payment of £3,500, an amount that subsequently increased significantly./TCH
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