For decades, people were aware of the fact that Queen Elizabeth II handed out “grace-and-favour” homes like candy to favored staffers and relatives. Those homes and apartments were often given away under extremely generous terms with very little scrutiny. All of that has come to a head in recent months, mostly because of the outrage over Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s peppercorn rent for Royal Lodge, which is a huge mansion on the Windsor estate. As we’ve seen, the British government is using Andrew to examine a lot of royal leases. It turns out that Prince Edward’s lease for Bagshot Park is extremely generous too. But what about all of the minor royals or royal-adjacents littering Kensington Palace and St. James’s Palace? What about… a 88-year-old princess who lives in a Richmond lodge and only pays £2,200 a year for the property??
A minor royal has been paying just £2,200 a year to rent a luxurious property in southwest London from the Crown Estate, raising questions about taxpayer value for money. Princess Alexandra, 88, the late queen’s cousin, holds the lease of Thatched House Lodge, a grade II listed property in Richmond Park.
The details of her lease were disclosed in response to questions from the public accounts committee (PAC) on the property deals the Crown Estate has made with members of the royal family.
Alexandra, who is 58th in line to the throne, is the daughter of Prince George, Duke of Kent, who died in a non-combat air crash during the Second World War. Though less active in her older age, Alexandra has been a working royal supporting various charities and causes, including the Alzheimer’s Society, as a royal patron since 1990. Unlike Andrew, whose association with the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein has brought him into disgrace, Alexandra is not a controversial royal, but questions have been raised about why she is paying so little for the property, given her relatively low public profile.
Alexandra and her family have lived in the house since 1963. According to the letter to the PAC, Thatched House Lodge is owned under a two-part lease, one signed in 1971 and one in 1995. For the first part, Alexandra paid £3,000 in 1971 for a 70-year lease, with £410 a year rent from the first 35 years of the lease until 2006, and £700 thereafter. For the second part, she paid a £670,000 premium in 1995 for a 150-year lease, then £1,010 a year rent for the first 25 years. It rose to £1,500 a year for the following 25 years, and will eventually go up to £6,000 by the last 25-year period.
It suggests an annual rent of £2,200, just £183 in monthly terms, a rent for which one would struggle to find a room as a lodger in a shared house.
While significant funds were paid up front under the deals, questions have been raised about whether the premium and rent reflect the maximum that could have been obtained for the lease. Unlike Andrew’s deal, the leases also have no assignment clauses, which means she is free to sell them on, subject to Crown Estate approval.
I’m totally fine with parliamentary committees and the press examining the rotten royal finances. I also agree that a thorough examination of royal properties and the Crown Estates is a good thing. But I kind of hate that they’re trying to drag an 88-year-old minor royal just because QEII always made sure that her cousin always had a nice home. Alexandra isn’t falling out of nightclubs, nor did she abuse girls on Epstein’s island. Let her live in her Richmond lodge for £2,200 a year in what amounts to her retirement! Is her lease agreement insane? For sure. But don’t make this 88-year-old lady the “face” of this royal real estate fiasco. It’s just another reminder, as well, that QEII actually tried to take care of her extended family. King Charles does not feel the same way, and Scooter King would rather set fire to all of these castles than allow one of his cousins to live there.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
