The Public Accounts Committee, Parliament's powerful spending watchdog, has announced it will launch a formal inquiry into the Crown Estate. This decision follows intense scrutiny over the lease arrangements for Royal Lodge, the 30-room Windsor mansion occupied by the Duke of York, Prince Andrew.
The Lucrative Lease Under Scrutiny
This probe was triggered by revelations concerning the financial terms of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's occupancy of the Grade II-listed Royal Lodge. It emerged that the disgraced former prince secured a 75-year lease on the property in 2003 for a sum of £1 million. Astonishingly, the annual rent was set at just "one peppercorn if demanded".
In October, MPs on the committee raised serious concerns about whether this arrangement represented value for money for the taxpayer. The so-called "peppercorn" rent, a legal term for a token payment, sparked a furore given the property's size and prestige, leading the committee to demand explanations from both the Treasury and the Crown Estate commissioners.
Transparency and Taxpayer Value
The committee has now published the responses it received from both bodies. Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the committee's chairman, stated that publishing these letters fulfils a primary purpose of the PAC: to aid transparency in public-interest information.
"Having reflected on what we have received, the information provided clearly forms the beginnings of a basis for an inquiry," Sir Geoffrey said. He confirmed the committee plans to hold an inquiry in the new year, based on further evidence to be compiled by the National Audit Office (NAO), which supports the committee's scrutiny function.
Final Days at Royal Lodge
The inquiry announcement comes as Andrew is reportedly living out his final days at the Windsor estate. He is expected to be relocated to the King's private Sandringham estate in the near future, marking a significant downgrade from his current 30-room mansion.
This investigation will not focus solely on Andrew's lease but will examine the broader system of leases agreed between the Crown Estate and other members of the Royal Family. The move signals a new level of parliamentary scrutiny over the financial dealings of the monarchy's institutions and their accountability to the public purse.
