(Image: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire)
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been granted £302,000 in compensation after officially surrendering the lease on his former Royal Lodge home in Windsor.
The former prince paid £1.8 million in repair and restoration costs as the lease was handed back more than 50 years early, a Crown Estate spokesperson said.
Andrew was entitled to compensation because, under the terms of his lease, he surrendered it within the first 25 years.
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.”
The entrance gates near the Royal Lodge, the former home of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in Windsor, Berkshire. (Image: Mathilde Grandjean/PA Wire)
Timeline: Andrew's Royal Lodge deal
The key dates and figures behind the lease surrender.
2003
Andrew secures a 75-year lease
He pays £1million for the lease on Royal Lodge and agrees to spend £7.5million on refurbishment. The original agreement would have allowed him to remain until 2078.
2005
The original deal comes under scrutiny
A National Audit Office report examines the lease arrangements, including the refurbishment commitment and the compensation provision if Andrew ended the lease early.
2025
Questions mount over the lease
The terms of the deal attract renewed scrutiny, including the fact that Andrew paid a nominal peppercorn rent rather than regular market rent. The Crown Estate initially estimated that end-of-tenancy repairs could wipe out any compensation due.
A van enters Wood Farm on the the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, where Andrew Mounbatten-Windsor has relocated following his departure from Royal Lodge in Windsor. (Image: Jacob King)
Jan 2026
Royal Lodge is vacated
Reporting published on 9 October says the property had been vacant since January, ahead of the formal end of the lease.
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Oct 2026
The lease ends and the final figures emerge
Andrew receives £302,000 in compensation and pays £1.8million in repair and restoration costs, according to the Crown Estate. The organisation says it will now consider how to generate additional financial value from the property's early return.