"Andrew has leased Royal Lodge from the UK state's property empire, the crown estate, since 2003, after making a one-off payment of 1m to lease the property for 75 years. He has since paid 7.5m in refurbishments to the building. He is understood to be paying peppercorn rent, which is a legal term used in leases to show that rent technically exists, so the lease is valid but the figure is often low, such as 1 per year."
"There is considerable and understandable public interest in the spending of public money in relation to Prince Andrew, which in part stems from the fact that he is no longer a working royal and from serious and disturbing allegations made against him, wrote Clifton-Brown. The letter, which was published on Wednesday, also questions whether the cost of any work on the property had been funded by the taxpayer, and whether an unredacted copy of the lease could be provided."
The public accounts select committee has written to the Treasury and the crown estate requesting details and rationale for the Royal Lodge lease, with a response requested by 28 November. Keir Starmer indicated openness to MPs questioning Prince Andrew in person about his Windsor Great Park home. Prince Andrew leased Royal Lodge in 2003 after a one-off payment of 1m for a 75-year lease and has paid 7.5m in refurbishments while reportedly paying peppercorn rent. The committee asked whether taxpayers funded any work and requested an unredacted copy of the lease. Fresh allegations in a memoir renewed scrutiny, which Andrew denies. The committee asked whether the tenancy remains the most appropriate use of the property given Andrew’s changed role.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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