Prince Andrew is under a lot of pressure to move out of his 30-bed Windsor mansion amid the scandalous allegations against him following his past relations with Jeffrey Epstein
Prince Andrew is under mounting pressure to leave his Royal Lodge home this week after it was revealed that he had not paid rent on it for 22 years.
The disgraced royal, who relinquished his titles this week in the midst of his Jeffrey Epstein scandal, has resided at the 30-bed Windsor mansion for over two decades. However, while it was always believed that the King’s younger brother was paying rent on the property, it was revealed this week that this is actually not the case.
Instead, the 65-year-old pays a “peppercorn rent” per annum if required, after paying an initial £1 million when signing the lease for the home in 2003. He then agreed to spend £7.5m on urgently needed renovations for The Crown Estate property.
Andrew is now facing pressure to leave the home, especially since further allegations against him have emerged following his past relations with the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, all of which he vehemently denies.
However, it’s not as simple as King Charles simply handing Andrew an eviction notice.
This is because Andrew, who stays at Royal Lodge with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who has also been stripped of her titles, has a“cast iron lease”, which means he can live at the property until 2078 if he adheres to the terms of the lease.
The Daily Mail reports that property lawyer Mike Hansom of BLB Solicitors believes it would be impossible to evict Andrew from the home.
This same view was echoed by estate agent Henry Sherwood who also believes that Andrew would not be able to be evicted from the home against his will.
This is due to there being no break clause in the contract.
The prince released a statement on Friday announcing that he will no longer use his royal titles following continued accusations about him that are causing a distraction to the work of the Royal Family.
Andrew has continuously denied accusations against him, including claims he slept with Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre three times when she was 17.
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His statement on Friday read: “In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family.
“I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life.
“With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further.
“I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
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