If you’ve ever wanted to live on a royal estate, now’s your chance. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s longtime home, Royal Lodge, will be up for rent after the former Duke of York’s lease ends in October, according to the Mail on Sunday.
King Charles evicted Andrew from Royal Lodge due to his associations with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and the former Duke of York and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, vacated the building earlier this year.
Royal sources told the Mail on Sunday that no one in the Royal Family expressed interest in moving into the ex-duke’s former property, which was previously the cherished home of the late Queen Mother.
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The Queen Mother spent many happy years living at Royal Lodge until her death in 2002.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
“The Crown Estate is a business, so the bean counters there are relieved Andrew didn’t give up his lease early, as the ongoing costs would have become their obligation, not Andrew’s,” a source said.
The home’s new tenants would not only need to go through serious background checks in order to live in the 30-room home, located just over a mile away from Prince William and Princess Kate, but they’d also need a steady cashflow. Royal Lodge is reported to cost £400,000 a year (roughly $540,000) in upkeep.
The historic home has been crumbling for years, with property expert Robin Edwards of Curetons previously telling Marie Claire that the “substantial” repairs needed could land “in the in the range of £4 million to £5 million.”
Andrew is seen at the Chapel of All Souls, located on the grounds of Royal Lodge, in 2021.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
And as the Mail on Sunday reported, the “dilapidated condition” of Andrew’s home “could mean an expensive repair job before a new tenant can be found.”
Although options like turning Royal Lodge into a hotel or other commercial business could help solve the problem, an insider said that’s not possible. “The Crown Estate’s statutory duties require it to preserve the character of the estate as a royal park and forest. That means it has had to rule out turning it into a conference centre or commercial venture.”
“The whole operation is going to cost the Crown Estate a lot of money and time,” the source added.
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