King Charles has reportedly infuriated Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie by stripping their father of his remaining titles and evicting him from Royal Lodge in October 2025, thereby obliterating a multimillion-dollar legacy they were set to inherit from the property.
The princesses, who are 36 and 35 respectively, had long believed that their father’s 75-year lease agreement, secured in 2003, would ensure the 30-room property remained theirs. The lease, the cornerstone of the York family’s residential and financial stability, is now being unraveled as a part of King Charles’ overarching plan to simplify the monarchy.
In 2003, Andrew negotiated a 75-year lease on Royal Lodge, worth about £30 million, or approximately $40 million. This lease could only be transferred to his widow, his two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, or a trust created solely for their benefit.
King Charles began the formal process to strip Andrew of his titles on October 30, 2025, in light of renewed investigation over his past association with Jeffrey Epstein. The palace has issued an official notice to surrender the lease, and Andrew is currently preparing to move to private accommodation.
Elliot Castle, a property expert with We Buy Any Home, stated that the chance of inheriting Royal Lodge is now “entirely” off the table. “This would only have been possible while the lease remained in place. Once that lease is surrendered or terminated, there is nothing to pass on. From a property standpoint, that closes the door entirely. Royal Lodge would revert fully to the Crown Estate, with no residual claim for Andrew or his daughters.”
Royal Lodge is not just a residence; it’s also a significant long-term leasehold asset. The early termination of the lease takes away its remaining financial value, which reports suggest could indicate a loss of about £500,000, or approximately $665,000, in sunk costs and lost investments.
Andrew paid a £1 million ($1.33 million) premium to the Crown Estate for the lease and carried out refurbishments at his own cost, estimated at £7.5 million ($9.97 million) at September 2002 prices. Over the years, he reportedly invested millions more in renovations, anticipating these sunk costs would eventually become a valuable legacy for his children.
Andrew’s former wife, Sarah Ferguson, who has cohabited with him at Royal Lodge for the past two decades, is also relocating. The couple married in 1986 and divorced ten years later. She reverted to her maiden name when Andrew lost his titles.
Andrew is expected to vacate Royal Lodge within weeks, likely before his 66th birthday on February 19. He will relocate to a property on the privately owned Sandringham estate in Norfolk, about 100 miles north of London, with King Charles funding the move privately.
Insiders have indicated that the princesses feel they are bearing the brunt of decisions they did not make, watching a valuable asset vanish due to a scandal they played no part in. For years, the princesses saw Royal Lodge not just as a childhood home, but also as a long-term asset assuring a comfortable retirement.
Despite their father’s disgrace, both princesses will keep their royal titles. Princess Eugenie, her husband Jack Brooksbank, and their two children reside at Ivy Cottage on the Kensington Palace grounds and own a home in Portugal. Princess Beatrice, her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and their two children have made a home in the Cotswolds.
“Royal Lodge provided security, prestige, and a long lease that justified substantial personal investment,” Castle said. “The premature loss of that arrangement inevitably results in sunk costs that can’t be recovered.”
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie attended Christmas celebrations at Sandringham without their parents, who were not invited to this year’s festivities. The move indicates a broader downgrade for the York branch of the family.
While Andrew would be entitled to £488,000 ($649,000) for the early surrender of his 75-year lease, a Crown Estate report found that the property was in such a state of disrepair that he will likely not receive any compensation.
This loss signifies the end of long-standing assumptions about family stability and security that shaped their expectations for decades. They are now forging lives entirely independent of the Crown’s property portfolio, even as they privately express their anger at how their father’s downfall has impacted their futures.