Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor reported to have made thousands subletting Royal Lodge cottages
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor reportedly made thousands of pounds by subletting three cottages at Royal Lodge while living there rent-free.
How it was covered
- Channel 5 was the only channel found covering it, concentrating on the rent-free subletting profits and taxpayer implications.
- BBC News, BBC One, BBC Two, Channel 4, GB News and ITV: not found in tracked broadcasts.
- Sky News: covered online, not found on air.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
Channel 5 reported that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor made thousands of pounds by subletting three cottages at Royal Lodge. The former prince was living at the property rent-free at the time, the programme said. Jennie Bond, a former royal correspondent, described the rent as a peppercorn rent, another way of saying rent-free.
Channel 5 reported that he earned up to £2,000 a month from the cottages. The programme said the properties are part of the Crown Estate, which is meant to make a profit for the Treasury. Bond told the programme that the arrangement left a sour taste because the profits would otherwise go to taxpayers.
Bond said Andrew now lives rent-free on King Charles's Sandringham estate. She said he has security provided and an allowance. She added that he is the subject of police investigations. Bond said Charles had distanced himself as much as possible from his brother.
The programme also discussed the King's Caribbean tour and a separate story about Thomas Markle Sr. Neither was linked to the Royal Lodge subletting report.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor reportedly earned up to £2,000 a month by subletting three cottages at Royal Lodge while living there rent-free. | |
| Crown Estate profits are reported to go to the Treasury, so the subletting income was effectively taxpayers' money. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Channel 5 framed the disclosure as a royal controversy and a question of public money. It leaned on an interview with former royal correspondent Jennie Bond, who called the arrangement a sour taste and stressed that Crown Estate profits go to the Treasury. The segment also widened out to the King's Caribbean tour and the Thomas Markle case as examples of stories overshadowing royal work, without seeking responses from Andrew or the palace.
- “it's not a good look”
- “he was raking in up to £2,000 a month from subletting cottages”
- “essentially it's taxpayers' money”
Who was on air
People and organisations each channel put on air while covering this story. Channels' own presenters and reporters are not listed. Names as transcribed, and the list can miss people.
- 17:33 GMT
Jennie Bond, former royal correspondent
5 News with Dan Walker · Fri 6 Nov
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.