The King has stepped in to pay after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor left Royal Lodge needing £1.8million of repairs.
The former Duke of York was evicted from the crumbling Windsor mansion earlier this year amid the furore of his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
After two decades of living there rent-free, he left the 30-room mansion in need of £1.8million to fix ‘dilapidations’ before it can be rented out again, it has emerged today.
Now it is understood King Charles has ‘loaned’ Andrew the money from his private income to ensure there is no cost to taxpayers.
In more good news for Andrew, assessors decided he was entitled to £302,000 to be knocked off the repair bill because his lease was terminated early.
The King’s brother – thanks to Charles’s money – has now settled the costs of the repairs, thought to include an outbuilding that needed substantial work. Repairs were also needed on the main house and the garden area was in need of restoration.
When Andrew took over the property in 2003, he paid £7.5million for refurbishments. He then lived for two decades paying a ‘peppercorn’ rent.
Now, after moving out, the Crown Estate has revealed the size of the repair bill.
It said: ‘The former tenant has fully vacated and paid £1.8million for dilapidations. This sum was informed and reviewed by independent advisors.
‘The amount of compensation the tenant is entitled to for surrendering the lease in October 2026 is circa £302,000.
‘Therefore, the overall net amount received by The Crown Estate is £1.5million.’
Prince Andrew’s mansion has fallen into disrepair, with cracks and mould appearing on the outside walls
Andrew and Sarah Ferguson lived for years together in Windsor despite being divorced. After Andrew was evicted earlier this year, assessors found Royal Lodge needed £1.8m repairs
The repairs needed to the delipidated mansion can be seen easily from the outside
The King is understood to have paid the full £1.5million due to the Crown Estate to settle the bill for the works needed at Royal Lodge.
Buckingham Palace has previously said that Charles makes ‘provision’ for his brother who would otherwise be a burden on the taxpayer.
Asked when the King expected Andrew to repay the money ‘loaned’, palace sources said that was ‘a private matter’ between his Majesty and Mr Mountbatten-Windsor.
The timing of the loan come only a day after it emerged Andrew has been funding a legal challenge to the police raid on Royal Lodge earlier this year.
But royal sources insisted it was a coincidence, and the two matters were separate. The surrender of the lease on royal Lodge had to conclude by October 30. It emerged at the High Court on Thursday this week that the former prince took out a judicial review against Thames Valley Police and the Old Bailey judge who approved the search warrants on his homes in February.
The King banned his brother from using his money to pay for the judicial review. Asked if Charles was funding the repair bills loan in order to free up cash for Andrew to afford his legal fight, palace sources stressed that none of the Monarch’s money should be used for the court battle.
The disgraced former prince lived in the grandiose home set in 98 pristine acres of Windsor Great Park rent-free since 2003 until January or February this year.
He paid just ‘one peppercorn (if demanded) per annum’ – according to his lease.
Royal Lodge, the lavish Windsor mansion Andrew shared with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson
Extracts from Prince Andrew’s lease with the Crown Estate showing his ‘one peppercorn’ annual rent
The Crown Estate is an independent commercial body whose profits go to the Treasury but is obliged to get the best value for the public.
It said the Royal Lodge lease has been handed back more than 50 years early, ‘which means additional value can be generated much sooner than expected’.
The Crown Estate said in a statement: ‘We can confirm the lease for Royal Lodge with former tenant Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been surrendered.
‘The lease has been handed back more than 50 years early – which means additional value can be generated much sooner than expected.
‘As per the terms of his lease, the tenant was entitled to receive compensation if the lease was surrendered within the first 25 years. This term was included in the lease to reflect the significant (c.£7.5m) refurbishments made by the tenant at the start of the lease. The amount of compensation the tenant is entitled to for surrendering the lease in October 2026 is c.£302k.’
A spokesman said: ‘The lease for Royal Lodge has ended and our focus now is firmly on its future use and the opportunities to generate additional financial value for the nation from its early return.’
It has a statutory duty to maintain the character of the Windsor Estate as a Royal park and forest.
It said the lodge would now be marketed for its proposed future use ‘by two nationally recognised agents’.
