Entertainment
Andrew’s secret Royal Lodge deal exposed in bombshell document release
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s Royal Lodge agreement has been made public for the first time amid his and Sarah Ferguson’s preparation to leave the Windsor property.
Andrew submitted the minimum required 12 months’ notice to vacate the property on October 30.
The 25-page document on the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee goes into depth on the details of Andrew’s lease. The file, dated August 8, 2003, includes who the agreement is with, how long it lasts, and to whom the lease would have been passed.
The document was signed “between The Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty (1), The Crown Estate Commission’s (2) [and] HRH the Duke of York (Andrew’s former title before he was officially stripped of it in October)”.
The 75-year agreement began on June 16, 2003 and was due to expire on June 15, 2078, until King Charles’s interjection.
If the lease had been passed over, an “acceptable assignee” would have been passed onto: “the widow of HRH the Duke of York, or Princess Beatrice, or Princess Eugenie, or the trustees of a trust which has no beneficiaries other than Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie or either of them.”
The lease notes details about the “tenant’s right to surrender”, stating: “If at any time during the term the tenant shall wish to surrender this lease, the tenant shall serve the tenant’s notice upon the landlord.”
The lengthy document comes as Ferguson is on the hunt for a new house while Andrew is preparing to depart Royal Lodge without receiving any financial settlement.
The Crown Estate informed MPs that necessary repairs to the 30-room property will almost certainly cancel out any money owed to the former tenant.
Without the need for end-of-tenancy work, Andrew would have been due £488,342.21 upon vacating the residence on October 30, 2026.
However, the estate body’s preliminary view indicates that the cost of rectifying dilapidations will effectively cancel out this potential payout when he surrenders the lease early.
“Our initial assessment is that while the extent of end of tenancy dilapidations and repairs required are not out of keeping with a tenancy of this duration, they will mean in all likelihood that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor will not be owed any compensation for early surrender of the lease once dilapidations are taken into account,” the Crown Estate stated in its briefing to parliamentarians.
Andrew submitted the minimum required 12 months’ notice to vacate the property on October 30. It follows the confirmation that King Charles had ordered the removal of two prestigious honours previously bestowed on his brother.
Details about the former prince’s living arrangements have been scrutinised as controversy continues over his connections to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The scandal which has been reignited by new sexual abuse allegations contained in Virginia Giuffre’s posthumously published memoir. While Andrew has always denied allegations.
The Princess of Wales’ most eye-catching royal moments happen before the cameras are even properly rolling.
This week, Kate quietly arrived at her own engagement behind the wheel of her own car.
The 44-year-old hosted England’s World Cup-winning women’s rugby squad at Windsor Castle on Thursday, but it was her low-key arrival that caught attention online.
In a video circulating on social media, an eyewitness spotted Kate driving herself through the Castle gates, stepping out from the driver’s seat and striding across the gravel in a striking red Alexander McQueen trouser suit.
The Prince and Princess of Wales live at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor Great Park, just a short 3.6-mile drive from the King’s Berkshire residence, close enough for a quick spin rather than a full motorcade.
While royal engagements often come with a driver in tow, getting behind the wheel is hardly without precedent.
Queen Elizabeth II famously loved driving around her private estates, often at the wheel of a Range Rover, while Prince Philip once played chauffeur for former US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama during their 2016 visit to Windsor.
The tradition continues today in slightly greener form. King Charles has developed a fondness for eco-friendly vehicles and has been spotted driving electric cars and even hydrogen-powered models reflecting his long-standing environmental interests.
Ariana Grande recently responded to a fan comment on social media, leaving many of her followers buzzing with her response.
The fan wrote, “Alright, let’s get back to pop star Ariana though,” while referring to her shift between pop career and acting projects.
Grande quickly replied, saying that “not two separate people !:’) same person, same artist behind all! please enjoy eternal sunshine x.”
The Wicked star’s viral response reminded fans that every piece of her music comes from the same artist, whether its pop, R&B, or her more adventurous songs, Ariana asked listeners to enjoy her work.
However, social media users responded enthusiastically, while praising the actress and songwriter for being open and honest.
Many of her fans said that her message showed the strong connection she maintains with her music and her audience.
Moreover, Ariana Grande also mentioned her upcoming Eternal Sunshine tour, which has been creating buzz for its emotional performances and beautiful production.
The 7Ring singer’s reply encouraged fans to embrace every part of her music and shows as a full, connected story.
Pamela Anderson has revealed she cut her Golden Globes night short after feeling ‘weird’ about being seated close to Seth Rogen.
Rogen is one of the producers behind Hulu’s Pam & Tommy, the dramatized series about her life that she never approved.
Speaking on Andy Cohen’s SiriusXM podcast, Anderson explained, “He was in the pit at the Golden Globes, so we were close.
To her it felt weird to see him after the release of the show that told the story of the ‘worst time’ of her life.
The 58-year-old actress admitted the moment stirred emotions she thought she had moved past.
“I may have just felt like, ‘I’m not chopped liver over here.’ I felt a little bit weird about it. And I felt like, you know — I’ve been so busy working. I’ve done five movies in the last year. So, I’ve just been busy, but sometimes it hits you and you feel kind of down,” she said.
“I don’t know. It just felt a little yucky. But eventually, hopefully, he will, maybe he’ll reach out to me and apologize. Not that that matters,” Pamela continued.
Anderson added that while she considers herself “free game” as a public figure she believes Pam & Tommy crossed a line.
“Your darkest, deepest secrets or your tragedies in your life shouldn’t be fair game for TV series.”
The Hulu series, starring Lily James as Anderson and Sebastian Stan as Tommy Lee, revisited the couple’s whirlwind 1995 marriage and the infamous leaked sex tape that defined much of Anderson’s career.
While director Craig Gillespie defended the project as an attempt to “change the narrative” and portray the couple empathetically, Anderson has consistently voiced her discomfort with the dramatization.
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