The price of Prince Edward’s rent on a 120-room royal mansion is raising eyebrows — and not for the reason many of Us may assume.
Like his brother, the former Prince Andrew, Edward, 61, is only paying a “peppercorn” rent, according to a report from The Sunday Times published on Friday, November 28. In other words, the royal forks up a nominal fee to continue to live in the Surrey home.
Edward and his wife, Sophie, have leased their 51-acre estate from the Crown for the last 25 years. They signed a lease extension in 2007 that required them to pay £5 million ($6.6 million) to lease the home for another 150 years. The Times also noted there are no other conditions on the lease.
The arrangement is similar to the one Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor enjoyed while leasing the Royal Lodge. Andrew paid £8.5 million ($112 million) up front to live in the home, at which point he continued to pay a nominal rental fee. Andrew’s lease also allowed him to pass the home down to ex-wife Sarah Ferguson or their two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
(Andrew is reportedly vacating the royal lodge following King Charles’ decision to strip his younger brother of his royal titles and associations. Andrew was given formal notice to vacate the home on October 30, 2025.)
The outlet also noted that Edward’s leasing arrangement might be of particular interest to the public, especially because he is 15th in line for the throne and it could prove difficult to justify why he needs to live in such a large estate that, if not occupied by a royal, could otherwise be rented out.
The British royal family has historically kept the details of their finances under wraps. As former Liberal Democrat minister Norman Baker told the outlet, “It is obscene not just that Edward and Sophie have been given a 120-room mansion to live in, but even more so that they have to pay a mere peppercorn rent, less than a struggling couple would pay to rent a pokey flat in Romford.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.
Edward and Sophie first met in 1987 when she worked as a press officer at Capital Radio. Edward was in a relationship with one of Sophie’s friends at the time, but they reconnected in 1993 and began a relationship of their own.
Edward proposed in December 1998, and he and Sophie married in June 1999 at St. George’s Chapel. Sophie became a full-time working royal three years later, and they welcomed their daughter Lady Louise in November 2003, two years after Sophie suffered an ectopic pregnancy and was airlifted to a hospital in London for life-saving treatment.
Edward and Sophie’s son James was born December 2007, and the pair have raised their family in their home, courtesy of the Crown.
King Charles granted Edward the title of Duke of Edinburgh in March 2023 on his younger brother’s 59th birthday. The title was previously held by their father, Prince Philip, who died in April 2021.
Philip was given the title upon marrying then-Princess Elizabeth in 1947, and it was largely understood that he hoped it would be passed to Edward following his death. The title also signified Edward could possibly assume a more in-depth role within the royal family, especially in light of Prince Andrew’s scandals and subsequent demotion.
Edward and his sister Princess Anne were also fast-tracked as “counselors of the state” at the end of 2023, which allows them to act on behalf of King Charles if needed.
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