Overview
- The Crown Estate said the request followed a BBC Freedom of Information inquiry submitted in January.
- Lease documents show inflation-linked rent rose from about £3,500 in 1998 to £12,922 by August 2025, roughly £13,000 a year.
- East Lodge, a Grade II-listed thatched cottage near Sunninghill Park, has been used as staff accommodation and was originally due to run until July 2027.
- Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee plans to examine royal lease arrangements later this year to bolster transparency and value for money.
- The development comes after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor left Royal Lodge in early February and was arrested on Feb. 19 on suspicion of misconduct in public office, with he and his representatives denying wrongdoing.