Auditors shine light on UK royal housing, disgraced Andrew’s ‘peppercorn rent’

King Charles’ disgraced younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor held leases for 10 properties, three of which he sublet, while the monarch ⁠pays rent for the former prince’s daughters’ palace ⁠homes, a report by the UK’s spending watchdog said.

In the most ⁠detailed review ever of royal property arrangements, the National Audit Office (NAO) report on Friday showed some leases were based on commercial valuations, while for others, senior figures paid no rent or negligible amounts for their properties.

The watchdog carried out its analysis after parliament’s Public Accounts Committee said last December it would hold an inquiry into the issue amid questions about the lease Mountbatten-Windsor held for the Royal Lodge mansion on the king’s Windsor estate.

Charles has since forced his ‌brother to move out of his home and stripped him of all his titles over his ties to the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The issue has been seized on by critics of the monarchy, who increasingly question their wealth.

“We hope that the findings will help correct, clarify or contextualise a number of points regarding royal properties,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said.

The NAO said it had examined the property agreements the family had with the Royal Household and with the Crown Estate, a vast property portfolio belonging to the monarchy but which is independently run with all its profits going to the Treasury.