Prince Andrew negotiating exit from Royal Lodge after public fury over rent deal

Prince Andrew is reportedly in discussions about leaving Royal Lodge voluntarily following the furore over the “peppercorn” rent for his 30-room mansion.

The King’s brother is said to be in talks with Charles’ representatives but is reluctant to give up his residence of more than 20 years, with the sticking points said to be the location of his new home and financial compensation for funds spent on the lodge, according to the Telegraph.

Andrew attempted to draw a line under years of controversy, following allegations he sexually abused Virginia Giuffre, by giving up his dukedom and other honours last Friday ahead of the publication of Ms Giuffre’s posthumous memoirs.

But the prince, who strenuously denies the allegations, was instead swamped by criticism that has focused on his property, with some MPs eager to debate the issue in Parliament.

The Telegraph reported conversations between Andrew and the King’s representatives have been ongoing since full publication of the prince’s lease agreement on his Berkshire home resulted in intense public scrutiny.

The newspaper said Andrew was resistant but there was a sense of inevitability about the prince, believed to be Queen Elizabeth’s favourite child, giving up his home.

Obstacles to reaching a settlement are reportedly where Andrew, eighth in line to the throne, will live and what financial recompense he will receive for the funds he spent renovating the home.

There are likely properties on the King’s private Balmoral estate in Scotland and his Sandringham estate in Norfolk that could house Andrew but whether he will accept a smaller home far from his supportive daughters remains to be seen.

The King has long been said to have tried to encourage his younger brother, who lives in Royal Lodge with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, to move out, but Andrew signed a watertight 75-year lease on the property in 2003.

Andrew’s leasehold agreement, seen by the PA news agency, revealed he paid one million pounds ($A2.1 million) for the lease and that since then he paid “one peppercorn” of rent “if demanded” per year.

He was also required to pay a further 7.5 million pounds ($A15.4 million) for refurbishments completed in 2005, according to a report by the National Audit Office.

Broadcast crews and photographers, meanwhile, gathered outside the gates of Royal Lodge on Thursday evening amid speculation there could be further developments in the long-running controversy surrounding the late Queen’s second son.

And there is likely to be a continued media presence outside the property’s gates until a decision is made, potentially overshadowing the work of the King and other members of the royal family.

Ms Giuffre, who too ker own life in April, alleged she was forced to have sex three times with Andrew, which he vehemently denies, including when she was 17 and also during an orgy, after she was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein.

Andrew paid millions of pounds to settle a civil sexual assault case with her in 2022 despite insisting he had never met her.

The prince’s announcement on his dukedom came after he consulted with the King and the Prince of Wales when it emerged he had emailed Epstein in 2011 saying “we’re in this together”, three months after he claimed he had broken all contact with the convicted sex offender.