Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s rental income from sublet cottages at the Royal Lodge could be publicly revealed, the King’s treasurer has suggested.
The former duke of York’s status as a landlord during the 20 years he spent at his former Windsor home sparked outrage when it was revealed last month.
Andrew was able to receive an income from tenants at three cottages at the Royal Lodge estate while paying only a “peppercorn” rent for his own 30-room mansion.
Sir James Chalmers, the keeper of the Privy Purse and treasurer to the King, told MPs on Monday that the Royal Household could provide details on Andrew’s rental income.
“We can get it,” said Sir James on the information, explaining to MPs on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that they would have to make a formal request.
MPs are now under pressure to demand the details as soon as possible.
‘The whole thing stinks’
Andrew Lownie, author of Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, criticised the “cosy” subletting arrangements and said the royals “must” share Mountbatten-Windsor’s rental income.
“It should have been provided earlier. It’s just another example of the obfuscation and lack of transparency we see with royal finances,” Lownie told The i Paper.
“The whole thing stinks,” he added. “There needs to be root-and-branch reform with proper parliamentary accountability and a minister responsible for answering questions on royal wealth.”
Mountbatten-Windsor was allowed to sublet three cottages under a lease agreed with the Crown Estate in 2004, a report by the National Audit Office (NAO) revealed last month.
The former duke did not have to return any of his rental income to the Crown Estate – a landowning commercial operation which returns profits to the Treasury for the benefit of taxpayers.
The lease was agreed on the basis that Mountbatten-Windsor would spend £7.5m renovating the Royal Lodge. This reduced his upfront, capital premium payment to £1m, alongside a nominal or “peppercorn” rent.
The arrangement ended in April 2026, when the former prince left Royal Lodge, a 30-room mansion, and downsized to Marsh Farm on the King’s private Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
Buckingham Palace willing to reveal rent details
Dan Labbad, chief executive of the Crown Estate, defended the Royal Lodge deal as “best value” at the time during a select committee hearing in Parliament on Monday.
Asked by Labour MP Clive Betts how much Mountbatten-Windsor had made from his rental income, Labbad said: “We’re not aware of that figure.”
However, the Crown Estate chief also said: “We understand what was probably obtained [in rent] for it.” Labbad added: “It’s a matter for the tenant, and the royal household.”
Sir James – appearing before MPs on behalf of the Royal Household – then revealed that Buckingham Palace was willing to share the rental income details.
“The role we played with the NAO report, which we can play here, was we gathered the information from the other [royal] households,” said the King’s treasurer.
“And I believe if the request were made for that information, we could provide it to the National Audit Office and therefore to the committee… We can get it.”
Betts told the King’s senior aide that it would “helpful” for the committee to have the information on Andrew’s rental income.
‘It’s a potential loss to taxpayers – we need to know’
Labour peer Baroness Margaret Hodge, former PAC chair, told The i Paper: “Of course they [the Royal Household] should share the information.
“Allowing him [Mountbatten-Windsor] to make money out [of] rents – it’s a potential loss to the taxpayer, so we need to know about it.”
Former Lib Dem minister Norman Baker – who has called on Mountbatten-Windsor to give back the “outrageous” rental income – also called for the sums to be shared publicly.
“It’s totally ridiculous that we haven’t had the rental income details,” said Baker, author of Royal Mint, National Debt: The Shocking Truth about the Royals’ Finances.
“We need to know how much he was able to maximise his income from these cosy arrangements. The Royal Family don’t share information unless they are forced to under considerable pressure.”
Baker also called on Mountbatten-Windsor – stripped of his titles over ties to the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein – to explain whether he used rental money to pay any of his legal bills in recent years.
Royal Lodge keys won’t be handed back until October
The ex-duke of York was arrested by Thames Valley Police in February over allegations he passed sensitive information to Epstein while serving as UK trade envoy. He was released under investigation.
The force is examining sexual misconduct claims against Mountbatten-Windsor as part of its probe. The former prince has always denied any wrongdoing.
Sources suggested Andrew’s subletting did not generate a net profit, and that the rent at the cottages was set at a rate to only cover maintenance and running costs for staff living there.
But no figures, such as repair and costs versus rental income at the cottages, or copies of the rental agreements, have been made public to verify how much he may have received.
Property experts previously suggested Andrew could potentially have received £180,000 a year from the three cottages. A high-end cottage in an exclusive part of Berkshire could get at least £5,000 a month in rental income, one industry expert told The i Paper.
Mountbatten-Windsor may be denied expected compensation for giving up his Royal Lodge lease early – which could amount to £301,967.
The former prince is unlikely to be paid this money because the building needs significant repairs, the Crown Estate previously said.
The estate is not expected to get the keys to the Royal Lodge back until in October, Labbad confirmed to MPs on Monday.
Last month’s NAO report revealed that King Charles foots the bill for Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie’s accommodation, despite both being non-working royals.
Sir James defended the below-market rents for the Royal Household’s properties, telling MPs they were reduced because only tenants with security clearance were suitable.
Buckingham Palace, the Crown Estate and Mountbatten-Windsor’s office were contacted for comment.
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