Prince Andrew 'in advanced talks' to leave Royal Lodge amid fury over rent deal

Prince Andrew is reportedly in advanced talks with the King's representatives over quitting his sprawling Royal Lodge home.

Andrew is facing increasing calls to vacate the 30-room proprty amid the continuing furore over his links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and the publication of the posthumous memoirs by his sexual assault accuser Virginia Giuffre. Andrew denies all allegations against him.

It comes after it emerged that Andrew had barely paid any rent on the property for more than 20 years leading to an outcry. And now it has been reported that Buckingham Palace is trying to "crank up the pressure" on the prince to give up his home.

According to the Telegraph, talks have been happening daily but a solution that suits all parties is proving difficult. The publication claims that a sticking point is where Andrew will live instead - with him not thought to be keen on being far from Windsor and London.

In addition, the issue of what will happen to Royal Lodge also needs to be decided given it cannot be rented out privately given it's proximity to Windsor Castle.

It comes as claims emerged that the prince’s “peppercorn” rent on the Crown Estate property in Windsor Great Park was concealed in a redacted version of his lease submitted to the Land Registry more than 20 years ago.

The Times reported the 2003 redacted version, compared with the full lease released this week, read “’Rent’ means” rather than “’Rent’ means one peppercorn (if demanded)”, and also “To pay the Rent” rather than “To pay the Rent if demanded”. The newspaper said the decision not to reveal such details was legal.

But the move raises questions as to why how much Andrew was paying was seemingly hidden from the public. The Public Accounts Committee has already confirmed it is writing to the Crown Estate and the Treasury asking for further information about the prince’s lease.

His leasehold agreementrevealed he paid £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 for refurbishments completed in 2005, according to a report by the National Audit Office.

The agreement also contains a clause that states the Crown Estate would have to pay Andrew around £558,000 if he gave up the lease.

In addition, friends of the prince reportedly told The Telegraph that Andrew believes the King is trying to force him out of the mansion because he wants it as a base for the Queen in Windsor should she outlive him.

Buckingham Palace strongly denied this was the King’s plan. The prince’s representatives were approached for comment.

Andrew relinquished use of his Duke of York title and remaining honours last Friday in a bid to to prevent distracting from the work of the monarch and the royal family, but he remains a prince, living in the grand Royal Lodge, and the scandal continues to dominate the headlines.

His announcement last week 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.