Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been granted £302,000 in compensation for leaving his former Royal Lodge home before the end of his lease, a Crown Estate spokesperson has said.
The former duke was stripped of his titles and honours and forced out of the 30-bedroom mansion in Windsor by the King over his ties to the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Mountbatten-Windsor, 66, had not been not expected to receive any compensation for leaving Royal Lodge due to its dilapidated state and the cost of repairs.
He paid £1.8m towards those repairs, but received £302,000 back from the Crown Estate for the early termination of his lease.
The Crown Estate returns its profits to the Treasury for the benefit of taxpayers.
Holborn by-election results as Polanski vows to ‘carry on’
Labour has held former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s old seat of Holborn and St Pancras, with Zack Polanski vowing to carry on as Green Party leader despite losing to Sagal Abdi-Wali.
Greens increase vote share but fall short of majority
The Greens increased their vote share by about 23 per cent compared to the 2024 general election result, when Starmer held the seat. However, Polanski ultimately fell short of victory by over 3,000 votes in Thursday’s 15-candidate by-election, which saw a 38.76 per cent voter turnout.
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The results
- Labour’s Abdi-Wali won with 12,292 votes (45.17 per cent).
- Green leader Polanski earned 8,928 votes (32.81 per cent).
- The Tories’ Ewan Cameron was third (1,922 votes, 7.06 per cent).
- Reform UK’s Peter Newman came fourth (1,612 votes, 5.92 per cent).
What next for the Greens?
Polanski vowed to “carry on as leader of the Green Party”, saying “of course I can” when asked about a potential leadership threat following his loss. However, he conceded that it would ultimately be up to members to decide if continues in his role during a scheduled leadership election next year.
The Greens described the result as “incredible” for the party, adding: “We are here to stay and just getting started.”
Watch: Polanski reacts to defeat
Victory a testament to diversity, says Abdi-Wali
“I hope this moment also says something about who gets to belong, for people who look like me…our diversity is a strength”
Labour’s winning candidate and leader of Camden Council spoke about the area’s “cohesion” in her victory speech. Meanwhile, party chair Bridget Philipson said: “Britain is backing Labour’s message of hope.”
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What next for Andrew after police warrant legal claim win
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has won a legal challenge against Thames Valley Police, but the former prince’s court battle is set to continue.
New developments
- At a hearing on Thursday, police accepted the search warrants used to raid the ex-prince’s residences in February were “unlawful”.
- But the force has retained the material seized under the warrants while legal proceedings continue into whether it can be used in ongoing investigations.
- Warrants being quashed “does not bring an investigation to an end, or mean the whole investigation was unlawful,” the judge said.
- The wrong type of warrant was used by police, the judge ruled.
- It did not include the power to seize documents under legal privilege.
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What happens now?
Thames Valley Police still hope to use materials seized from the 66-year-old’s addresses in the ongoing criminal investigation into him over alleged misconduct in public office.
Thames Valley Police made an application in June which would allow them to keep the evidence taken during the searches. Mountbatten-Windsor opposes the force’s bid to retain the evidence, with a hearing in the case set to be held privately next year.
How does Andrew live now?
While isolated publicly from the Royal Family, Mountbatten-Windsor is said to be leading a comfortable lifestyle “of the upper echelons” at Marsh Farm, his new home on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, whilst footing substantial legal bills. How is he staying afloat?
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A much-anticipated Government review, the first of three aimed at cutting the welfare bill, has found the conditions are on the rise as more young people seek support.
Have ADHD and autism been overdiagnosed in recent years?
The Government’s review by Professor Peter Fogey, published today, concluded ADHD and autism are not overdiagnosed “at scale” but a growing number of people are incentivised to seek a diagnosis as the main way to access support. It found diagnosis has “risen dramatically” in recent years and the current system brings a “serious risk of overdiagnosis” in the future.
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What did the review recommend?
Take action now to help those in need of support
Prepare for benefits cuts
A needs-led approach should focus on participation rather than diagnosis.
Fast-track waiting lists
People on lists should be reviewed and support offered to those waiting.
Reduce medication
Deprescribing and regular medication reviews should be widespread practice.
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Streeting wrong about overdiagnosis, says author
“There has been a rise in distress and mental ill health amongst young people which is very, very real…. We need to support young people’s mental health early… Rebuilding this support must be a priority”
Professor Peter fonagy, author of the report which was comissioned by then-health secretary wes streeting
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A row had erupted over Mountbatten-Windsor’s future at the property after it emerged that he had charged staff to live in cottages on the estate while paying only a “peppercorn” rent himself for the mansion, where he lived for two decades.
The King’s brother was forced to hand back the lease of Royal Lodge 50 years early amid the fallout from the US Department of Justice’s publication of emails detailing the full extent of his relationship with Epstein.
Mountbatten-Windsor left the mansion in February in disgrace, and has since taken up residence at Marsh Farm on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk. However, only now has he formally surrendered the lease on his former home.
In a statement today, the Crown Estate said he had paid £1.8m for dilapidations after the property was inspected by independent advisers. But he in turn was entitled to £302,000 for surrendering the lease early, making his total bill £1.5m.
The Crown Estate, an independent property company nominally owned by the King, but created to make money for the taxpayer, will now seek to rent it out to another tenant.
It will have to decide whether the property has to go to another member of the Royal Family or can be let to a private individual under the terms of section 5 of the Crown Estate Act 1961. This requires the property empire to maintain the character of the Windsor Estate as a Royal Park.
The property will be marketed for its proposed future use by two nationally recognised agents.
The Crown Estate said any transaction would be subject to its established governance and approval processes. A spokesperson added: “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.”
This is a breaking story and will be updated.