Princess Eugenie's living situation has come under scrutiny again after an investigation revealed she pays no rent for her royal home in London. The daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, who is expecting her third child, divides her time between the UK and Portugal because of her husband's work.
Life in Portugal
In 2022, Jack Brooksbank accepted a role as a marketing executive with Discovery Land Company in Portugal. The firm operates luxury resorts globally, including the CostaTerra Golf and Ocean Club in Comporta, where the couple resides. Eugenie previously spoke about living in Portugal on the Table Manners podcast in 2023, saying: "This is why Portugal is the dream because I can go to the supermarket in my exercise gear and my hair piled on my head and not mind. Not care. No one cares."
In 2024, she told Hello! magazine that her sons, Ernest and August, love Portugal. "They love swimming. The sea in Portugal is a little bit rougher. So we've got our feet in, but Augie is a fish. He literally loves it and we have whales and dolphins all across the walls."
UK Residence and Rent Controversy
While in the UK, the family uses the three-bedroom Ivy Cottage at Kensington Palace. However, a National Audit Office (NAO) report sparked public fury after revealing that neither Eugenie nor her sister, Princess Beatrice, who stays at an apartment in St James's Palace, pays rent. King Charles covers the costs from his private income via the Privy Purse, despite the sisters having primary homes elsewhere and not being working royals.
The investigation found that their adjusted rents were based on outdated market valuations from 2018 and 2020, not consistent current-year calculations, leading to public backlash.
Prince William's Future Plans
Reports suggest that while King Charles is fond of his nieces, Prince William may take a tougher approach when he becomes king. Daily Express's Chris Riches said: "Prince William has a huge call himself to make regarding who he wants in his future line-up of working royals and if the sisters should appear."
Despite the controversy, the York sisters appeared alongside the Royal Family at Peter Phillips' wedding to Harriet in the Cotswolds last Saturday, where the Prince of Wales warmly greeted them.
