Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor received an undisclosed rental income from sub-letting three cottages, it has been revealed.

The three cottages were on the Royal Lodge estate that he leased from the Crown Estate.

The details were revealed in a report by the National Audit Office – although it does not say how much Mountbatten-Windsor received in rental income.

It does, however, also go on to reveal that the King pays the rent for accommodation in royal palaces for Mountbatten-Windsor’s daughters Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice. His two daughters are not working royals.

Royal Lodge lease

The BBC reported that Mountbatten-Windsor had paid £7.5m for repairs when he took on the lease for Royal Lodge, meaning he didn’t have to pay a monthly rent.

The watchdog report into royal residences shows that Princess Eugenie has a property in Kensington Palace, while Princess Beatrice has one in St James’s Palace.

They do not pay any rent for this central London accommodation, instead it is paid by the “privy purse”, which is the monarch’s personal money, to the Royal Household.

Both of the palaces are maintained by public funding, through the Sovereign Grant.

We are grateful to the National Audit Office for this report, which is in line with The Royal Household’s commitment to transparency.”

A Palace spokesperson told The Neg: “We are grateful to the National Audit Office for this report, which is in line with The Royal Household’s commitment to transparency.

“We hope that the findings will help correct, clarify or contextualise a number of points regarding Royal properties.

“As the report notes, arrangements for properties managed by the Royal Household vary based on a number of factors to ensure residences are filled appropriately, depending on their location, tenants and purpose.”

Three cottages

Mountbatten-Windsor left Royal Lodge earlier this year, and moved to Sandringham in Norfolk.

However, he still has the lease on Royal Lodge until October 2026.

As well as the main building at Royal Lodge, there were another eight nearby properties.

Mountbatten-Windsor’s lease allowed three of these cottages to be sub-let, which he did until April 2026.

The BBC article claimed Palace sources suggested he rented the property to staff or retired staff and the amount was only enough to cover running costs.