The British royal family says former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Duke of York, will not receive a six-figure compensation after he was evicted early from a 30-room mansion on his Windsor estate due to poor repairs.
In a briefing to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which scrutinizes the value for money of government programs and services, the Crown Property Council said an initial assessment of the royal villa showed “it is likely that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor will not receive any compensation for the early abandonment of the lease once the dilapidation is taken into account.”
The Crown Estate added that while it did not expect “any compensation would be guaranteed”, Andrew would receive a six-figure sum of £488,342.21 ($644,336) if “repairs or dilapidation are not required at the end of the tenancy”.
King Charles ordered his brother to leave his property in Windsor Great Park, west London, after announcing in October that Andrew would be stripped of his “prince” title amid controversy over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The property covers 40 hectares (99 acres) and has been Andrew’s home since 2003. The estate features a swimming pool, aviary, six cottages, a gardener’s cottage and police quarters to protect members of the royal family.
The late Queen Elizabeth II granted Andrew, the third of her four children, the right to live in the cottage, which is officially part of the royal estate. The prince paid £1 million for the property in 2003 and under the terms of the 75-year lease, which expires on June 15, 2078, he is required to pay for all renovation works and maintenance of the surrounding grounds.
Andrew will move to a property on the Sandringham estate, about 100 miles north of London, which is privately owned by the British monarch. His new residence will be privately funded by King Charles, but Andrew is not expected to move in until after the Christmas holidays, according to royal sources.
The news comes as the PAC said on Tuesday it would launch an inquiry into Crown Estates over unresolved issues surrounding Andrew’s lease agreement.
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP and PAC chair thanked the Crown Estate and the Treasury for responding to the committee’s questions, adding: “On reflection on the information we have received it is clear that the information provided forms the basis for an investigation to begin with.”
He added: “We are now waiting for the National Audit Office to draw its conclusions based on this information and plan to conduct an investigation in the new year based on the evidence base produced.”
The investigation will focus on royal estates and the royal family’s leases of property, including Prince Edward’s lease of Bagshot Park near Windsor, and the thatched cottage in Richmond, London, where Princess Alexandra and her family live.
CNN’s Lianne Kolirin and Lauren Said-Moorhouse contributed reporting.
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