The Crown Estate said on Friday that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, received £302,000 in compensation after formally surrendering the lease on Royal Lodge, his long-time home in Windsor Great Park, according to a Crown Estate statement reported by the Associated Press.
Mountbatten-Windsor had signed a 75-year lease on the Grade II-listed, roughly 30-room property in 2003. Because he moved out less than 25 years into that term, he was contractually entitled to compensation for the early surrender, the Crown Estate said.
How the figures add up
The original 2003 lease required Mountbatten-Windsor to spend £7.5 million renovating Royal Lodge and to make a separate one-time payment of £1 million, obligations he met after taking on the property, according to the Associated Press.
Separately, an assessment of the property's condition at the time he vacated found he owed roughly £1.8 million in repair and restoration costs, according to the Crown Estate. The £302,000 compensation was deducted from that sum, meaning Mountbatten-Windsor ultimately paid the Crown Estate a net amount of about £1.5 million rather than receiving a lump sum himself.
A Crown Estate spokesperson said: "The lease for Royal Lodge has ended and our focus now is firmly on its future use and the opportunities to generate additional financial value for the nation from its early return."
A reversal from December's outlook
The outcome marks a change from what the Crown Estate had told MPs in December 2025, when it said compensation was unlikely once repair and restoration costs were taken into account. At the time, officials said a full assessment would need to be carried out post-occupation by a dilapidation expert before any payment could be determined.
Key figures in the Royal Lodge lease| Item | Amount |
|---|
| Original lease term (signed 2003) | 75 years |
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| Required renovation spending under lease | £7.5 million |
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| One-time payment required under lease | £1 million |
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| Property condition assessment at surrender | £1.8 million owed |
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| Compensation for early surrender | £302,000 |
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| Net amount paid by Mountbatten-Windsor | about £1.5 million |
|---|
Background: why he left
Mountbatten-Windsor and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, lived at Royal Lodge for roughly two decades, reportedly paying a nominal "peppercorn" rent under the lease terms. He left the property in February, moving to Marsh Farm, a five-bedroom house on King Charles's privately owned Sandringham Estate, where he has largely stayed out of public life.
His departure followed sustained scrutiny of his past relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. King Charles had already stripped him of his remaining princely title before the Royal Lodge exit was finalised.
What happens to the property now
The Crown Estate, which manages property on behalf of the monarch but is independent of the royal family's personal finances, has not announced a new occupant or use for Royal Lodge. Its statement indicated the organisation is now focused on determining the property's future use and maximising its financial value following the early return of the lease.
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