Prince Andrew 'avoiding paying water bills' at Royal Lodge amid skyrocketing prices

Marcus Donaldson

By Marcus Donaldson


Published: 22/10/2025

- 08:30

The royal has paid only 'one peppercorn' of rent on the Grade-II listed property since moving in

Prince Andrew only paid his water bills at Royal Lodge “from time to time” since moving into the palatial Windsor residence in 2003, it has emerged.

It comes as the embattled brother of King Charles faces calls to vacate the property amid mounting scandals relating to his former relationship to Jeffrey Epstein and links to China.


Earlier this week, documents revealed Andrew had lived effectively rent-free at the 30-room Royal Lodge, further piling pressure on him to leave.

Now, reports suggest the disgraced royal had only seldomly paid his water bills in the two decades of his residency amid skyrocketing utilities costs for most Britons.

The average British household has seen bills rise by 168 per cent since 2001, three years before Andrew and his family moved into Royal Lodge.

The Windsor mansion is supplied by Affinity Water, which charges around £375 a year, and provided sewerage from Thames Water at around £368.

Andrew's annual bills would therefore have amounted to about £743 annually and £14,860 across two decades of residency, although it would likely be higher as Forest Lodge is metered.

While the fee is not exactly a King’s ransom, it represents another financial advantage potentially enjoyed by Prince Andrew currently under intense scrutiny.

Prince Andrew

Prince Andrew has 'avoided paying water bills' at Royal Lodge since moving into the property in 2004

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On Tuesday, MPs on the Commons Treasury Committee and the Public Accounts Committee signalled they may now investigate the Crown Estate’s handling of the Royal Lodge lease.

GB News has approached representatives for Prince Andew for comment.

It followed the revelation that Andrew’s rent at the residence had been set at "one peppercorn (if demanded)" per year since 2003.

A "peppercorn rent" is a legal term that means rent in name only. It is a symbolic amount included to make an agreement legally valid.

Documents obtained by The Times show Andrew paid £1million for the lease and at least £7.5million towards extensive refurbishments completed in 2005.

Royal Lodge

Andrew has also reportdely not paid rent for the Grade-II listed property

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The arrangement allows him and his family to occupy the Grade II-listed property until 2078, the paper reported.

Following the disclosures, MPs charged with investigating such matters suggested there would be grounds to analyse further.

"Where money flows, particularly where taxpayers’ money is involved, or taxpayers’ interests are involved, Parliament has a responsibility to have a light shine upon that," Chairwoman of the Treasury Committee Dame Meg Hillier said.

"We need to have answers," she told the Today programme.

Prince Andrew

Adnrew is facing mounting pressure to vacate the 30-room residence

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Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokeswoman Lisa Smart went a step further and called for Prince Andrew to pay the rent he would have owed back.

She said the exiled royal: "Should show some contrition by returning every penny of rent that he’s not paid while disgracing his office."

Andrew's residency at Royal Lodge now hangs on his ability to pay for maintenance costs of the Windsor estate. However, this may be under threat as a deal that aided these costs is now "dead in the water".

His woes came into acute focus last week when he agreed to surrender the use of his royal titles amid the several scandals gathering momentum around him.