The revelation came after the Crown Estate, which manages Crown properties, said Mountbatten-Windsor was charged \u00a31.8 million (NZ$4.2 million) due to the property’s dilapidated state and received a credit of \u00a3302,000 (NZ$712,000) as compensation for the early surrender of his lease. That left him with a debt of \u00a31.5 million pounds, which the King paid.<\/p>\n
The Crown Estate released the figures on Friday as it announced that Mountbatten-Windsor had fully vacated the Royal Lodge, a 30-room stately home surrounded by parkland near Windsor Castle, west of London. He personally left the lodge in February.<\/p>\n
The Crown Estate is an independent company established by Parliament to manage a vast portfolio of properties throughout the United Kingdom that is nominally owned by the sovereign during his lifetime but is operated for the benefit of taxpayers.<\/p>\n
![\"Prince](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/prince-andrew-is-refusing-to-budge-from-his-royal-lodge-resi-5BDTOWHQ5ZAG7E2UURNK3EGD3E.jpg\")
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Prince Andrew. (Source: Bang Showbiz)<\/p>\n
\u201cThe lease for Royal Lodge has ended, and our focus now is firmly on its future use and the opportunities to generate additional financial value for the nation from its early return,\u201d the Crown Estate said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Charles stripped his brother of his princely title and ordered him to leave Royal Lodge last year as the monarch sought to shield the rest of the royal family from the continuing scandal of Mountbatten-Windsor\u2019s relationship with Epstein<\/a>. The moves came as the US Justice Department released millions of pages of documents from its investigation into Epstein, revealing previously unknown details about his links to the former prince.<\/p>\n Mountbatten-Windsor\u2019s continuing residence at Royal Lodge was a particularly sensitive issue for many people because he paid no rent on the house and surrounding 40.3 hectares.<\/p>\n The former prince signed a 75-year lease on Royal Lodge in 2003, when he was still a working member of the royal family, attending public events on behalf of his mother Queen Elizabeth II and serving as Britain\u2019s special trade representative. The lease required Mountbatten-Windsor to spend \u00a37.5 million on renovating the property and make a one-time payment of \u00a31 million.<\/p>\n Mountbatten-Windsor was entitled to compensation for the renovation expenses if he surrendered the lease within the first 25 years, the Crown Estate said.<\/p>\n The former British prince was taken into custody under suspicion of misconduct in public office. (Source: Supplied)<\/p>\n Mountbatten-Windsor, 66, gave up his role as trade envoy in 2011 and stepped away from all royal duties in 2019 because of concerns about his relationship with Epstein.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-former-british-prince-was-taken-into-custody-under-suspi-YDQ3R6VRSBFOHE3GN6SGYP47LE.png\")
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