Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor surrenders Royal Lodge lease, leaving Crown Estate £1.5 million

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has formally surrendered the lease on Royal Lodge, his former Windsor home, more than 50 years before it was due to expire, with the Crown Estate receiving a net £1.5 million after costs and compensation were offset.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has formally surrendered the lease on Royal Lodge, his former Windsor home, more than 50 years before it was due to expire, with the Crown Estate receiving a net £1.5 million after costs and compensation were offset.

The Crown Estate said the former prince paid £1.8 million in repair and restoration costs, known as dilapidations, when he handed back the property. Under the terms of his lease, he was entitled to £302,000 in compensation for surrendering it early.

The compensation was offset against the repair bill, leaving the Crown Estate with a net payment of about £1.5 million. The estate said it was now considering the property’s future use.

The lease surrender comes amid continuing scrutiny of Mountbatten-Windsor’s links to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mountbatten-Windsor, the brother of King Charles III, was stripped of his royal titles last year.

Separately, a High Court judge in London said on Thursday that Mountbatten-Windsor and Thames Valley Police had agreed that search warrants used to raid two of his properties in February were unlawful. The warrants covered Royal Lodge and his residence on the Sandringham estate.

The ruling does not end the police investigation into allegations of misconduct in public office linked to Mountbatten-Windsor’s time as a British trade envoy. Police have said the investigation remains ongoing, while further legal proceedings will determine whether material seized during the searches can be retained.