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PRESSURE IS MOUNTING on Britain’s Prince Andrew to give up his 30-bedroom mansion after it emerged he has paid a “peppercorn rent” on the property for more than 20 years.
Senior Tory Robert Jenrick said it was “about time Prince Andrew took himself off to live in private” as “the public are sick of him”.
Parliamentary committees could also look into the Crown Estate’s handling of Andrew’s Royal Lodge residence in Windsor.
A copy of the leasehold agreement, shared by the Crown Estate, which oversees the royal family’s land and property holdings, shows Andrew signed a 75-year lease on the property in 2003.
It reveals King Charles’ brother paid £1 million (€1.1 million) for the lease and that since then, he has paid “one peppercorn” of rent “if demanded” per year.
He was also required to pay a further £7.5 million (€8.6 million) for refurbishments completed in 2005, according to a report by the UK’s National Audit Office.
The agreement also contains a clause which states the Crown Estate would have to pay Andrew around £558,000 (€643,000) if he gave up the lease.
Jenrick said Andrew “has disgraced himself, he has embarrassed the royal family time and again. I don’t see why the taxpayer, frankly, should continue to foot the bill at all. The public are sick of him. ”
Asked if Andrew should leave his Windsor residence, Jenrick told BBC Radio 4’s Today: “I don’t think the taxpayer in any way should be footing the bill for him to live in luxury homes ever again.”
Profits from the Crown Estate are handed to the UK Treasury for the benefit of the country’s finances, raising concerns that the public could be deprived of potential funds from the property due to the peppercorn rent.
MPs on the Commons Treasury Committee and the Public Accounts Committee could look into the Crown Estate’s handling of the lease.
Treasury Committee chairwoman Meg Hillier told Today: “Where money flows, particularly where taxpayers’ money is involved, or taxpayers’ interests are involved, Parliament has a responsibility to have a light shine upon that, and we need to have answers.”
Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokeswoman Lisa Smart said Andrew “should show some contrition by returning every penny of rent that he’s not paid while disgracing his office”.
Downing Street pointed to the 2005 National Audit Office report, saying the public spending watchdog had not raised concerns about the Royal Lodge arrangements.
A No 10 spokesman said: “The National Audit Office reviewed the lease arrangements for Royal Lodge in 2005. And in its report, which was published at that time, concluded that the Crown Estate does not have any special procedures when negotiating agreements with the royal family.
“An independent evaluation concluded that the transaction with Prince Andrew and Royal Lodge was appropriate.”
Meanwhile, it was claimed Andrew’s accuser Virginia Giuffre would have viewed him relinquishing use of his Duke of York title as a victory.
On Friday, Andrew announced that he had given up use of his royal titles and honours amid intensified focus on his links with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and days before publication of Ms Giuffre’s book Nobody’s Girl.
He vehemently denies the allegations that Ms Giuffre was forced to have sex with him three times after being trafficked by Epstein.
Co-writer of Nobody’s Girl Amy Wallace told BBC Newsnight that Ms Giuffre would have welcomed Andrew’s relinquishing of his titles.
“I know that she would view it as a victory that he was forced by whatever means to voluntarily give them up,” Wallace said.
“For many, maybe particularly in the United States, but maybe even in the UK, it’s a symbolic gesture but it’s an important one. It’s made history, modern history, in terms of the royal era.
“I mean I’ve never heard of such a thing happening and it also is just a step in the right direction.
“Virginia wanted all the men who she’d been trafficked to against her will to be held to account and this is just one of the men but… even though he continues to deny it his life is being eroded because of his past behaviour as it should be.”
Also in the wake of her memoirs, Ms Giuffre’s brother and sister-in-law, Sky and Amanda Roberts, have called on the UK’s police watchdog to review the decision by the Metropolitan Police not to continue its investigations into her allegations against Andrew.
In an interview for Channel 4 News, they urged the force to reopen their probe into Ms Giuffre’s claim that she was forced to have sex with the royal when she was aged 17, adding that if the police would not take action they felt the Independent Office for Police Conduct should review the decision.
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