Andrew's Real Estate Portfolio Shrinks Again

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is set to relinquish yet another Crown Estate property, as he moves to end his lease on a Grade II-listed cottage near Windsor. The BBC reports he has asked to terminate his tenancy of East Lodge, a thatched 19th-century property close to his former Sunninghill Park home that was believed to have been used to house staff. Documents show his rent at East Lodge recently climbed to about $17,000 a year—a veritable bargain for the area.

The move adds a fresh piece to the reshaping of his property arrangements following renewed scrutiny of his ties to Jeffrey Epstein that resulted in his arrest last month. Andrew left Royal Lodge in Windsor for Sandringham in February, to a home owned by King Charles III. The Crown Estate, whose profits go to the Treasury, says Andrew's request for early termination came after a BBC Freedom of Information request; MPs will examine such royal leases in an inquiry later this year.