Prince Andrew could bag £7MILLION compensation if forced to give up 31-room mansion

PRINCE Andrew could walk away with millions of pounds in compensation if he is forced out of his grace and favour home.

The disgraced Duke of York, 61, has faced calls for him to quit his plush Royal Lodge home after he settled with his sex abuse accuser this week.



Prince Andrew could walk away with millions of pounds


He has faced calls to quit his plush Royal Lodge home

He is trying to amass £12million to pay off Virginia Giuffre funded by loans and the sale of his Swiss chalet.

But documents unearthed by The Celeb Report reveal he is entitled to up to £7million if he leaves the 31-bed Windsor mansion.

Andrew paid just £1million for a 75-year lease in 2003 when he moved into the Queen Mother’s former home.

Royal Lodge would be worth around £30million on the open market and has a swimming pool which Andrew added as part of a £7.5million refurb.

It sits in 40 hectares of woodland and manicured lawns — equivalent in area to 75 football pitches.

Royal expert Margaret Holder said: “The compensation would give Andrew a potential source of funding to repay loans to the Queen and anybody else who would lend him the money.

“If he were to move to another smaller, more modest and more distant property, he wouldn’t be seen quite so often and would be a greater distance from Windsor Castle.”

A 2005 National Audit Office report states Andrew cannot “gain financially from any increase in the value of the property” and if he leaves, it reverts to the Crown Estate.

But it adds he would receive “compensation in respect of the refurbishment costs”.


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It says: “The maximum compensation of just under £7million is subject to annual reductions over the first 25 years of the lease, so that at the end of that period, there is nil compensation payable.”

Royal author Angela Levin said: “Losing Royal Lodge is a marvellous idea and if he can walk away with some money, it makes it more enticing. He should be obliged to do that.”

She added: “Charles has asked him to be invisible. He has an opportunity to change and live out of sight.”



He settled with his sex abuse accuser this week