EXCLUSIVE: Andrew Windsor's Rent Scandal Needs to Open An Investigation So Secret Privileges of The Firm Can Be 'Reined In,' Royal Expert Declares
A royal expert said Andrew Windsor's rent scandal needed to expose hidden perks
Dec. 8 2025, Published 5:50 p.m. ET
Andrew Windsor is at the center of renewed scrutiny over his occupancy of Royal Lodge, with experts and former politicians calling for a wider investigation into the privileges enjoyed by the entire British royal family, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Norman Baker, a former politician turned author and expert on the inner workings of The Firm and its financial set-ups, described the scandal over Windsor as symptomatic of a "wider culture of questionable royal entitlement" and urged the U.K.'s public accounts committee to examine not only Andrew's arrangements but the entire portfolio of royal properties.
Tip of the Iceberg
Baker argued that Andrew Windsor’s peppercorn rent exposed a wider problem.
Calls for an investigation have been triggered after it emerged Andrew, 65, has paid only a peppercorn rent to reside in the 30-room, $40 million Royal Lodge mansion.
While Palace insiders initially battled to present him as an isolated case, Baker argues the inquiry should now extend further.
He said: "What began as public outrage about Andrew paying a peppercorn rent has widened into the much broader issue" – adding Windsor is merely the extreme manifestation of a wider culture of questionable royal entitlement.
The Royal Lodge arrangements are just the tip of the iceberg, our sources say.
Subsidized Royal Housing
Princess Alexandra benefited from a heavily reduced rent at Thatched House Lodge.
Baker has highlighted other royal occupants benefiting from heavily subsidized housing. Edward Windsor and his wife Sophie reside in Bagshot Park, a 120-room mansion, also on peppercorn rent, while Princess Alexandra pays around $300 a month for Thatched House Lodge.
"Edward paid a one-off sum of $6.7 million in 2007 for his 'forever' property, which equates to just over $334,000 a year even if he vacates tomorrow – far below the market rate," Baker said.
An anonymous source close to the Crown Estate said: "These royal rental arrangements have long been opaque. The public has a right to know whether market rents are being charged, especially given that income from the Crown Estate goes directly to the Treasury."
Baker emphasized a wide-ranging inquiry should include the roughly 52 grace-and-favour residences currently controlled by King Charles.
He said: "I asked for a list of these and whether market rents were being charged. The Crown Estate refused to provide that information. Perhaps the parliamentary committee will have better luck.
"The Palace also refused to tell me how many grace-and-favour residences the King controls in total. The most up-to-date figure I could find was 272, and that was in 1993."
The Sovereign Grant Windfall
Baker criticized the Crown Estate for refusing to release rental information.'
Baker also noted the broader implications for public finances, pointing out the sovereign grant, introduced in 2011, has vastly increased royal funding.
He said the "hugely unwise change from civil list to sovereign grant" has "given a windfall of millions to the royals that would previously have gone to the Treasury, most notably from the development of offshore wind."
Baker added: "The last year of the civil list gave the royals $10.5 million. Fourteen years later, the sovereign grant gives them $176million. You do not have to be a republican to think this obscene."
Calls for Radical Reform
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Baker urged parliament to force transparency and push for major reforms.
A palace insider said: "The scrutiny over Andrew has exposed sensitivities in the family. There's concern about how far parliament will look into the residential arrangements of other working royals."
Baker added there are 11 working royals, eight of whom are couples, yet they have access to roughly four times the number of residences they arguably require.
Sources say most of those properties sit empty most of the time, with some vacant almost permanently.
Baker is ultimately calling for not only urgent transparency but also radical reform.
"Our royal family costs us about half a billion pounds a year, more than ten times that of any other European monarchy," he said. "Charles and William would be wise to drive this figure well down before parliament – and the public – does it for them."
