People have been left astounded after learning about the minimal amount Andrew Windsor was paying annually to reside in his extravagant Windsor mansion prior to losing all his royal titles.
Recently, King Charles removed his younger brother from all royal titles and honors, including the ‘prince’ designation, in response to disturbing claims made by Virginia Giuffre, a trafficking victim of Jeffrey Epstein.
“His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew,” the Royal Family stated.
It was also announced that the disgraced royal is to vacate his residence, with the statement continuing: “His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence.”
“Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation. These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.”
Andrew held a 75-year lease on Royal Lodge, an expansive property with 30 rooms located in Windsor Great Park, which he rented for ‘one peppercorn’ per year.
This peculiar arrangement has historical roots, dating back to times when peppercorns were valuable and used as token payments to validate property transactions legally.
Nowadays, it equates to paying a minimal amount to maintain the legality of the agreement, but it is unlikely Andrew actually brought a peppercorn to Buckingham Palace annually.
The agreement was actually ‘one peppercorn (if demanded)’ per year—a token amount for a family of such wealth.
According to The Times, Andrew initially paid £1 million ($1.3 million) for the lease and invested another £7.5 million ($9.75 million) in renovations. This allowed him to enjoy the mansion for over twenty years until King Charles decided it was time for a change.
The public has expressed shock and amusement on social media.
“I thought this was some sort of British euphemism for ‘not a lot of money’. But no, he’s actually paying rent with a single peppercorn,” one person commented on Reddit.
Another quipped: “Where can I rent a mansion for a peppercorn?”
A third added: “If he were my brother and I were king, I’d have thrown him to the wolves by now.”
“He should have a free home and that home should be in a jail cell,” wrote someone else.
This all follows renewed attention on Virginia Giuffre’s memoir, which again brought Andrew’s alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein under scrutiny.
Giuffre claimed she was paid to have sex with the prince at 17. She tragically died by suicide at her home in Australia at 41, shortly before her memoir, “Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice,” was published.
In her book, she described meeting Prince Andrew in March 2001, after which Ghislaine Maxwell allegedly pressured her to ‘do for him what you do for Jeffrey’.
“The next morning, Maxwell told me: ‘You did well. The prince had fun’,” Giuffre wrote, noting Epstein paid her $15,000.
Andrew continues to strongly refute all allegations.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can reach out to The National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7, or chat online at online.rainn.org.