Prince Andrew has moved out of Royal Lodge after facing public pressure to vacate the 30-room mansion owned by the Crown Estate on the Windsor Home Park estate.
BBC reported on Tuesday, February 3, that Andrew, 65, left the Royal Lodge on Monday, February 2. The former royal is staying on temporary property on the Sandringham Estate while his permanent home is undergoing renovations, per the outlet.
Andrew vacated Royal Lodge after living there for 22 years without paying significant rent, according to a copy of his lease obtained by The Times in October. The “peppercorn” rent arrangement began when he signed a 75-year lease for the property in 2003, agreeing to pay £1 million for the lease plus any renovation fees. (Andrew reportedly paid £7.5 million to refurbish the estate in 2005.)
Per the outlet, the agreement meant that in return, Andrew would not have to pay traditional rent.
Because his lease runs through 2078, it was unlikely that the Crown Estate would have been able to force him out of Royal Lodge had Andrew not agreed to vacate. BBC News reported earlier in October that Andrew has an independently-held “cast-iron lease” on the property.
With Andrew moving out, the Crown Estate will be required to pay the prince £558,000, plus a “compensatory sum” of £185,865 each year through 2028, according to The Times.
Royal expert Christopher Andersen exclusively told Us Weekly earlier this month that Andrew staying at Royal Lodge would have given him some control over his destiny amid the controversy surrounding his alleged association with Jeffrey Epstein.
“Gradually, since the Queen’s death, it has dawned on Andrew that he might really be booted out of the royal fold altogether,” Andersen claimed. “His titles, his privilege, his status all mattered to him.”
Andrew’s decision to vacate Royal Lodge comes after he announced that he would give up his royal family title as a result of his connection to the Epstein scandal.
“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,” Andrew said in a statement to Us Weekly on Friday, October 17. “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.”
He added, “With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honors which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
Though Andrew has denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein, he did reach a private settlement with Virginia Giuffre in 2022 after she sued him for sexual assault. Giuffre had previously claimed she had a sexual encounter with Andrew when she was underage. Andrew has denied the allegations. (Epstein and Giuffre both died by suicide, in 2019 and 2025, respectively.)
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