Published May 25, 2026
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie could hardly sigh with relief when a new bombshell dropped on the sister ahead of a major royal event.
Uncertainty have been swirling about the status of the princesses especially since their parents Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson have been removed from the royal fold. Although royal source stress that King Charles is determined to maintain a close relationship with his nieces and not have them pay for their parents’ sins.
However, British taxpayers are not happy about the favours non-working and even working royals are getting. There has been growing uproar in the public ever since “peppercorn rent” of the royals were exposed, especially discovering that Andrew has not paid his dues in two decades.
Royal Author Norman Baker pointed out that the public has been “paying for these rich royals to live in luxury effectively rent-free”. He particularly stressed that Beatrice and Eugenie would be “wise” to leave their properties in St James’s Palace and Kensington Palace before the public aggressively pursues the case.
“It is good that parliament, which generally does its best never to look into royal matters, has been forced by public opinion to examine the outrageous rental agreements which both ex-Prince Andrew and his brother Prince Edward have enjoyed – near-zero rents for gigantic mansions in the most charming surroundings of Windsor Great Park,” Baker told the Daily Mail.
Moreover, he added that “non-working royals should never benefit from grace-and-favour or peppercorn rent arrangements.”
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, , who both primarily reside outside London, pay an undisclosed sum of rent to the King in order to retain their second homes, according to reports.
Prince and Princess Michael of Kent reportedly paying just £69 a week for their enormous home in Apartment 3 in Kensington Palace.
Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie paid £5 million upfront for a lease of 150 years, but pays only a peppercorn rent Bagshot Park mansion in Surrey.
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester live at The Old Stables on the Kensington Palace estate which is also rent-free.
The Prince and Princess of Wales pay a reported £307,500 a year to rent their “forever home” at Forest Lodge.