As sisters, Princess Beatrice and Eugenie are not working members of the Royal Family, and this could complicate their inheritance, a property expert has warned. Since 2004, their father, Prince Andrew, has lived at Royal Lodge in Windsor, after the Crown Estate, which owns it, granted him a 75-year lease agreement.
Despite Andrew reportedly battling with the upkeep of the 19th-century Grade-II listed mansion, the Duke is reportedly embroiled in a dispute with King Charles about his living situation. The Mirror reports Andrew refused to leave his home in the hope that he could one day pass it on to his daughters as an inheritance.
A property expert has discussed the situation at hand. Raj Chohan, owner of Golden Key Estates, told GB News: “Royal Lodge is part of the Crown Estate. Since the Epstein scandal [for which the Duke has repeatedly denied any allegations against him], Prince Andrew has been stripped away from royal duties, which would mean, as the Crown is funded through taxes and he is not now fulfilling formal duties, this would now not form part of his estate.”
Raj explained: “Prince Andrew has expressed wishes to hand the property down to his daughters. As we don’t know the legal contracts, we would assume that they would take the property. For now, this is still part of the Crown Estate, and the board of directors would decide the long-term plans.”
The expert further explained that, as Andrew leases the property, he could leave it as an inheritance to his daughters. He said: “This is made further complicated as both daughters have refused to take on royal duties, perhaps due to being young mothers.”
Prince Andrew has a lease with the Crown Estate to stay in the house until 2078. If the prince moved out, it’s suggested that the historic Royal Lodge could be used as a commercial asset by the Crown Estate, rented in some way that would work with the security considerations of a house on the Windsor estate.
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie are not currently working royals, and both have professional careers outside of the Firm. They often support the Firm, however, on occasions like Buckingham Palace garden parties or charity events.
The 75-year lease agreement prevents Prince Andrew from gaining financially from any increase in the value of the house – and apart from the Prince himself, the lease can only be subsequently assigned to his daughters or his widow, as reported by the BBC.
If Prince Andrew wants to terminate the lease, it will revert to the Crown Estate.
Andrew resides at Royal Lodge in Windsor, alongside his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson. Despite finalising their divorce in 1996 after nearly six years of marriage, Sarah and Andrew have remained close friends over the years.
Andrew, the late Queen Elizabeth’s third offspring, has found himself embroiled in numerous scandals over recent years, spanning his connections with the late Jeffrey Epstein through to accusations of sexual misconduct, of which he has denied any wrongdoing.