EXCLUSIVE: The Millions of Reasons Senior Royals are Raging At Andrew Windsor — And it Has NOTHING to Do With His Jeffrey Epstein Scandal
Senior royals have been raging at Andrew Windsor in bombshell disputes, which aren't even related to his Epstein scandal.
Dec. 7 2025, Published 5:40 p.m. ET
The pleb formerly known as Prince Andrew has unwittingly triggered a royal backlash after Parliament announced it will probe his "peppercorn" rental deal for the 30-room Royal Lodge in Windsor, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Senior members of the family are now "furious" according to palace sources, who tell us the investigation threatens to cast a "highly uncomfortable" spotlight on leases for other royal residences.
Andrew 'Dropped Them In It'
Parliament launched a probe into Andrew Windsor’s peppercorn lease at Royal Lodge.
Former Duke of York Andrew, 65 – now known as plain old Andrew Windsor after King Charles stripped him of all his royal titles due to his younger brother's links to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein – will move to a grace-and-favor home on his monarch sibling's Sandringham Estate in Norfolk early next year.
The Royal Lodge inquiry, however, has reignited scrutiny over other members of The Firm are occupying some of the U.K.'s most valuable properties – virtually rent-free.
The palatial homes stretch from Scotland to Romania, where the King, 77, owns a home in Transylvania. "Everyone is on edge," said a source close to the royals.
"They've seen what's happening with Andrew, and nobody wants to be next under the microscope.
"There's real anger behind the palace walls – especially among those paying nominal rents on estates that could fetch millions on the open market.
"They feel Andrew has properly dropped them in it. It is the money that is winding them up the most, not his links to Epstein. It's always about the money with the royals."
Nominal Rent Deals
Edward and Sophie paid only a peppercorn rent for Bagshot Park after 2007.
Windsor's peppercorn arrangement at Royal Lodge – a symbolic rent of one peppercorn if demanded – has drawn attention to how Edward Mountbatten-Windsor and his wife Sophie pay only $6,700-a-year for Bagshot Park, Surrey, a 120-room mansion they have occupied since 1998.
Initially, they paid a market-value rent until 2007, when they too received a peppercorn lease, despite their consistent contributions to royal duties, often traveling abroad on behalf of Charles, who is continuing his cancer treatment.
In contrast, Andrew's daughter, Princess Eugenie lives with her husband Jack Brooksbank and their sons August and Ernest at Ivy Cottage in the grounds of Kensington Palace, one of two London bases the couple maintains.
Eugenie also owns a home in Comporta, Portugal.
Her sister, Princess Beatrice, resides in St James's Palace with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and daughters Sienna and Athena, while also keeping a Cotswold farmhouse purchased in 2021.
Other Homes Under Scrutiny
William and Kate moved into Forest Lodge and paid a full market-rate rent.
A royal insider said: "Everyone in the family knows these long-standing arrangements are now under the microscope. Andrew's situation has opened a door none of them anticipated."
Meanwhile, Prince William and Kate Middleton have recently moved into Forest Lodge, their "forever" home, paying an open-market rent, while maintaining Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace for London stays and office use.
Other royals, including Princess Anne and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence now stay at St James' Palace after Buckingham Palace renovations, while Prince Michael of Kent and his wife Marie-Christine continue to occupy Apartment 10 at Kensington Palace, using its Indian tent for entertaining.
The Duke of Kent and the Duke of Gloucester also maintain long-term residences within royal estates.
Sandringham Avoids Scrutiny
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The King assigned Andrew a new residence on the Sandringham House estate to remove him from Windsor.
The Sandringham Estate, spanning 20,000 acres with properties across 13 Norfolk villages, will host Andrew's next home.
As it is privately owned by the King, sources say it will avoid parliamentary scrutiny.
But inside the family, the mood remains tense, with sources saying "anger is simmering at the thought of more financial and public transparency."
