Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s tenure at the Royal Lodge, a stately residence on the Windsor Estate, has come under scrutiny. The Daily Mail has unveiled a surprising fact: during his 22-year occupancy, the mansion never underwent official inspections, despite its unique lease agreement.

Back in 2003, when the lease for the expansive 30-room estate was signed, it included unconventional terms. Instead of regular rent payments, Andrew was tasked with a hefty upfront refurbishment and ongoing maintenance of the property.

The royal, who has recently faced public disgrace, invested £8 million to restore the once-neglected residence. As part of the agreement, he was supposed to open the doors to inspectors at “all reasonable times” to verify its upkeep.

In return for his commitment, the Crown Estate, an autonomous entity managing royal properties for taxpayer benefit, permitted him to reside rent-free over the 75-year lease period. However, it has now emerged that no inspections were conducted during his occupancy, sparking concerns about a potentially favorable arrangement at the expense of taxpayers.

The lease also stipulates other maintenance obligations, such as repainting the interior every seven years and ensuring the grounds and gardens remain well-maintained. Yet, with no inspections carried out, the oversight of these conditions has been called into question.

His lease states that he must paint the interior of the property every seven years and maintain the landscaped grounds and gardens in good order.

The rules were so strict that he was also not allowed to alter the historic building by adding new walls, fences, gates or windows.

To ensure compliance, the lease states Crown Estate officials had the right to enter the premises to ascertain if the rules had been followed if they gave ‘reasonable notice’.

A recent photograph of Royal Lodge clearly shows it’s state of disrepair with plaster peeling off the exterior walls

Andrew’s lease states that he must paint the interior of the property every seven years and maintain the landscaped grounds and gardens in good order

The disgraced royal paid £8million to repair the then-dilapidated property when he moved in, and promised to allow inspectors in at ‘all reasonable times’ to make sure he looked after it

But the revelation that no visits were ever paid will raise further questions about whether courtiers attempted to play down concerns over the former prince’s value for money as outrage grew over his links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The lack of inspections was only revealed via a freedom of information request from this newspaper in December.

This is despite the chief executive of the Crown Estate writing a briefing to the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in November where he stated inspections were carried out on a ‘need-only’ basis.

It stated that this was ‘common industry practice’ because Andrew had the right to the quiet use and enjoyment of the property, and the landlord’s reversion was several decades away.

It explained inspections are carried out only when needed to ensure best use of resources and, in the case of The Crown Estate, ‘effective use of public money’.

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said: ‘There is little doubt that the extraordinary absence of inspections of Royal Lodge, which under the terms of the lease could be periodically carried out, will be seen as yet another example of the sweetheart deal between the Crown Estate and Andrew.

‘This revelation is all the more surprising when you consider the fact that Andrew has been involved in so many high-profile disasters in recent years, and still no one thought to inspect the condition of the property until recently.’

The Crown Estate eventually inspected the property after Andrew announced he was moving out of Royal Lodge and found it in a dilapidated state needing repairs.

It is in such poor condition that Andrew’s ‘compensation’ for quitting the lease early – worth nearly half a million pounds – is likely to be completely wiped out by the cost of repairs.

The former Duke of York was stripped of all his royal titles, including ‘prince’, in October after a leaked email published by The Mail on Sunday which proved he had lied in his interview with BBC’s Newsnight about when he ended his association with Epstein. 

Andrew denies all accusations of sexual activity with Epstein’s accusers and vehemently denies any wrongdoing.

The Crown Estate eventually inspected the property after Andrew announced he was moving out of Royal Lodge and found it in a dilapidated state needing repairs

Andrew’s ‘compensation’ for quitting the lease early – worth nearly half a million pounds – is likely to be completely wiped out by the cost of repairs

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor leaving his current home, Royal Lodge and will eventually move into exile at an unknown location in Sandringham

When the lease for the 30-room Royal Lodge estate was signed in 2003, it included unique terms which included no rent but a costly upfront refurbishment and upkeep schedule

The disgraced royal will eventually move into exile at an unknown location on the King’s private Sandringham estate, predicted to be by Easter.

But public outcry over the scandal now threatens to prompt greater scrutiny from MPs, who are using the PAC to launch a probe into all royal properties managed by the Crown Estate to assess whether there has been value for money for taxpayers.

The Crown Estate is not a government department, but operates with commercial objectives and has a duty to maximise value for the public purse.

Its profits go back to taxpayers and help fund the Sovereign Grant, which pays for the monarch’s official duties and the upkeep of official residences.

It does not own the royal palaces, but has five royal homes under its wing: Royal Lodge; Bagshot Park; Forest Lodge and The Cottage, in Windsor Great Park; and Thatched House Lodge in Richmond.

Now the entire extended Royal Family has found itself caught up in the consequences of Andrew’s generous deal as they face an unprecedented full investigation into their property holdings.

Secret rental deals, peppercorn-rent charging arrangements, no-inspection policies, and lifetime leases at a fraction of market rents could soon all be revealed for the first time.

Some experts have likened what is coming to ‘the opening of Pandora’s box’ – and predict it will instigate sweeping changes for how the royals live.

Now the entire extended Royal Family has found itself caught up in the consequences of Andrew’s generous deal as they face an unprecedented full investigation into their property holdings

The probe will examine the Prince and Princess of Wales’s rental for their new family home, Forest Lodge, and the rent-free deal enjoyed by the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh in their nearby sprawling mansion, Bagshot Park.

Prince Edward and Sophie fixed a similar deal to Andrew in 2007 where they paid £5million up front for the 120-room Bagshot Park in Surrey and then essentially live rent-free.

Some experts believe the unearthing of more details regarding the generous deals could make the public take the view that the royals are ‘taking the taxpayer for a ride’.

Mr Fitzwilliams said: ‘The Royal Lodge deal itself has similarities to that between the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the Crown Estate for Bagshot Park. It is not the sort of deal that the Crown Estate would arrange now.

‘We are assured that the Prince and Princess of Wales are paying a market rent for Forest Lodge.

‘The optics of the earlier deals, since the Crown Estate should obtain the best value for the taxpayer, clearly indicate that undue preference has been given to royal tenants at the taxpayer’s expense.

‘When the PAC examine these deals later in the year the monarchy’s critics will claim that the royal family has been taking taxpayers for a ride. 

‘This will undoubtedly lead to changes in the way leases involving members of the royal family are drawn up by the Crown Estate in the future.’

The rents paid by members of the Royal Family in palaces have never been publicly revealed, with the exception of the tenancy agreement for the Kensington Palace apartment home of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent which had an index-linked commercial rate rent of £120,00 a year agreed in 2010.

A Crown Estate report published after the outcry over Andrew’s lease revealed that William and Kate were paying ‘market rent’ on eight-bedroom Forest Lodge which they moved into in October, although no figures were disclosed.

The same report stated that the late Queen’s cousin Princess Alexandra’s rent in sought-after Richmond Park was around £225 a month.