The House of Windsor is once again under an unflattering spotlight, as mounting pressure builds for Prince Andrew to vacate Royal Lodge, his grand residence near Windsor Castle. For over two decades, the prince has called this sprawling mansion home, paying a symbolic annual rent of just a single peppercorn. But with a fresh wave of scandals and public scrutiny, the future of Andrew’s royal digs—and his place within the monarchy—has never been more uncertain.
The story, which some British commentators have dubbed “The Prince and the Peppercorn,” took a dramatic turn in late October 2025. According to the BBC and The Daily Telegraph, Andrew’s already embattled reputation was dealt another blow when new emails surfaced. These revealed that the prince had maintained contact with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein far longer than he had previously admitted. The timing couldn’t have been worse: just weeks before, Andrew had relinquished his formal titles, including Duke of York, in an attempt to distance the monarchy from the cascade of negative headlines about his business dealings, friendships, and alleged misconduct.
Yet, as the British press has made clear, renouncing his titles was not enough to quell the outrage. In Parliament and across the media landscape, critics are now demanding more severe measures. Some have even floated the idea of an act of Parliament to strip Andrew of his dukedom, or to forcibly remove him from Royal Lodge—an extraordinary proposal that underscores just how toxic the situation has become.
The mansion at the heart of this drama is no ordinary home. Royal Lodge, despite its understated name, is a palatial estate set in the leafy grounds near Windsor Castle. Andrew has occupied it since 2003, when he signed a 75-year lease with the Crown Estate, a portfolio of properties that is technically owned by the monarch but managed independently. As part of the agreement, Andrew invested a hefty 7.5 million pounds (about $9.9 million) to refurbish the property, according to BBC reporting. In return, he pays just one peppercorn per year—a tradition that harks back to a time when pepper was a rare and valuable commodity, and such symbolic rents were used to satisfy legal requirements.
But the prince’s privileged arrangement has become a lightning rod for criticism, especially now that he is no longer a working member of the royal family. With no known source of income beyond a modest pension from his 22-year Royal Navy career, many are asking how Andrew can afford to maintain such an opulent residence. Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, was blunt in his assessment. “By disgracing his office, Prince Andrew has relinquished any rights to special treatment at the expense of the taxpayer,” Davey told the BBC. He called for a formal inquiry into whether Andrew is being subsidized by public funds and insisted that the prince should be required to testify about his finances.
The scandal has not been confined to the pages of newspapers or the halls of Parliament. On October 27, 2025, King Charles III found himself confronted by the controversy in a very public way. As the King greeted well-wishers outside Lichfield Cathedral, a heckler shouted, “Have you asked the police to cover up for Andrew?” The man was quickly hustled away, but not before the incident was captured on video and broadcast on evening newscasts. The Daily Telegraph summed up the mood with a stark headline: “Headache for the palace as King heckled over Andrew.”
The renewed scrutiny of Prince Andrew’s relationship with Epstein was further fueled by the publication of a posthumous memoir by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most prominent accusers. In her book, “Nobody’s Girl,” Giuffre detailed three alleged sexual encounters with Andrew when she was just 17. She wrote that Andrew “acted as if he believed having sex with me was his birthright.” Andrew has consistently denied Giuffre’s allegations, but the damage to his reputation has been severe. After a disastrous BBC interview in November 2019, in which he attempted to rebut her claims, Andrew stepped down from royal duties. He later paid millions in an out-of-court settlement after Giuffre filed a civil suit against him in New York. Tragically, Giuffre died by suicide in April 2025 at the age of 41.
Andrew’s personal life has also come under the microscope. He continues to reside at Royal Lodge with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, who is no longer known as the Duchess of York. The arrangement has raised eyebrows, but it is hardly the most controversial aspect of Andrew’s current circumstances. With his formal ties to the monarchy severed, and his public standing at an all-time low, the question of where he might go if forced to leave Royal Lodge has become a topic of speculation. According to reports in the British press, one possibility is Frogmore Cottage—a smaller but still luxurious residence that was previously occupied by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle before they stepped back from their royal roles and moved to the United States.
The Crown Estate, for its part, has remained tight-lipped about the specifics of Andrew’s lease or any ongoing negotiations. The monarchy, too, has largely avoided direct comment, preferring to let the story play out at arm’s length. But as the headlines pile up and public frustration grows, it seems increasingly likely that a reckoning is on the horizon. The idea that a disgraced prince might continue to enjoy the comforts of a royal mansion, at a time when so many Britons are struggling with the cost of living, has become a potent symbol of perceived inequality and privilege.
Despite the mounting pressure, there is still no official word on when—or even if—Andrew will leave Royal Lodge. For now, the prince remains ensconced in his peppercorn-rented palace, a living reminder of the monarchy’s complicated relationship with scandal, accountability, and tradition. Whether the House of Windsor can weather this latest storm without further damage remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the story of “The Prince and the Peppercorn” is far from over.
