Newly surfaced details reveal that Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, is paying standard market rates for his Surrey residence, Bagshot Park, unlike his brother Prince Andrew, who enjoys a significantly reduced ‘peppercorn rent’ at Royal Lodge in Windsor.

Prince Edward, who assumed the title of Duke of Edinburgh after the passing of his father, Prince Philip, in April 2021, has been residing at Bagshot Park since March 1998. Records indicate that he pays a price reflective of the property’s market value.

These disclosures arise alongside reports concerning Prince Andrew’s controversial past gatherings at Royal Lodge, which included hosting the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and film producer Harvey Weinstein in 2006.

Initially, Prince Edward secured a 50-year lease for his Surrey estate, beginning at £50,000 annually. This amount later increased to £90,000 per year. Moreover, he invested £1.36 million in renovating the property.

The refurbishment efforts were further supported by a £3 million contribution from the Crown Estate, ensuring the estate’s upkeep and modernization.

The Crown Estate handed over another £3million for refurbishments. 

Meanwhile, there have been new claims that Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson have been living separate lives under one roof at Royal Lodge as it is a ‘lucrative’ and ‘mutually advantageous’ arrangement for the disgraced former couple.

The former Duke and Duchess of York have been able to ‘live at a certain level’ while riding out multiple scandals from the comfort of their 30-room Grade II listed mansion, where they have lived since 2008 despite divorcing in 1996.

Prince Edward (right) is seen here with siblings Prince Andrew (right), Princess Anne (centre right) and the Duchess of Edinburgh in the Scottish capital in September 2022

Edward, now titled as the Duke of Edinburgh, lives at Bagshot Park (pictured) and has been paying a ‘market value’ for the property, records show

But it is understood they are now willing to go their separate ways if they are forced out of their Windsor Estate home amid fresh scrutiny over their links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Pressure has also mounted on King Charles to take action after Andrew’s leasehold agreement revealed he paid £1million to secure a 75-year lease in 2003 – and has since paid only ‘one peppercorn’ in rent per year, ‘if demanded’.

On Monday, it was said the prince has finally agreed to leave Royal Lodge but has demanded he and Fergie are given two separate royal homes in exchange.

Andrew is said to have requested Harry and Meghan’s former home, Frogmore Cottage, while Fergie is eyeing up nearby Adelaide Cottage ahead of the Prince and Princess of Wales’s departure next month.

It also emerged last night how Andrew hosted Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and Harvey Weinstein at Royal Lodge in 2006.

And the Daily Mail revealed how Fergie has been dumped from ITV’s Loose Women and This Morning – weeks after being dropped by a series of charities.

Last week, The Mail on Sunday told how Andrew tried to involve the Metropolitan Police and one of Queen Elizabeth’s most senior aides in a campaign to smear Virginia Giuffre, who had accused him of assaulting her as a teenager.

An email exposed how Andrew asked his taxpayer-funded police bodyguard to investigate the ‘lying’ young woman.

The prince passed on details of her date of birth and social security number, presumably given to him by Epstein.

The now Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are pictured here in Stafford in November 2020

The former Duke of York goes for a horse ride on the Windsor estate in December last year

Prince Andrew has lived at lavish 30-room property Royal Lodge in Windsor since 2003

He also claimed Virginia, who took her own life earlier this year, had criminal convictions, a claim which has not been backed up by any evidence or confirmed by police and has been strongly denied by her family.

An earlier email exposé proved that Andrew lied to Buckingham Palace and the British public when he claimed he had cut off all contact with his close friend in December 2010, following Epstein’s release from prison on child-sex charges.

Twelve weeks later, he emailed the sex offender financier to say they were ‘in this together’ and sickeningly expressed his wish to ‘play some more soon’.

Ms Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, alleged she was forced to have sex three times with Andrew, which he vehemently denies, including when she was 17 and also during an orgy, after she was trafficked by Epstein.

Andrew paid millions to settle a civil sexual assault case with her in 2022, despite insisting he had never met her.

Prince Andrew has denied Ms Giuffre’s claims about him.

Claims emerged this week that the prince’s ‘peppercorn’ rent on the Crown Estate property in Windsor Great Park was concealed in a redacted version of his lease submitted to the Land Registry more than 20 years ago.

The Times reported the 2003 redacted version, compared with the full lease released this week, which read ‘”Rent” means’ rather than ‘”Rent” means one peppercorn (if demanded)’, and also ‘To pay the Rent’ rather than ‘To pay the Rent if demanded’.

The first and last pages of Andrew’s lease for Royal Lodge, released by the Crown Estate

A document shows the compensation payable to Prince Andrew on surrender of the lease

The newspaper said the decision not to reveal such details was legal.

But the move raises questions as to why how much Andrew was paying was seemingly hidden from the public.

The Public Accounts Committee has already confirmed it is writing to the Crown Estate and the Treasury asking for further information about the prince’s lease.

The King has long been said to have tried to encourage his younger brother, who lives in the home with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, to move out, but Andrew signed a watertight 75-year lease on the property in 2003.

His leasehold agreement revealed he paid £1million for the lease and that since then he paid ‘one peppercorn’ of rent ‘if demanded’ per year.

He was also required to pay a further £7.5million for refurbishments completed in 2005, according to a report by the National Audit Office.

The agreement also contains a clause that states the Crown Estate would have to pay Andrew around £558,000 if he gave up the lease.