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Do the royal family pay rent? Princess Eugenie, Prince Andrew and more

Royal residences like Royal Lodge and Bagshot Park are leased out

do royals pay rent
Rachel Avery
Homes Editor
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We're fascinated by the residences of the royal family and love peering into their lavish living rooms and other-worldly kitchens, but do the royals have to fork out rent for their properties?

From Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex's 120-room estate Bagshot Park through to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's UK base of Frogmore Cottage, discover if our favourite royals have to contribute to their accommodation…

Do Prince William and Princess Kate pay rent?

Working royals are usually given premises to live in by the monarch which will not require any payment from the occupier. For example, Prince William and Kate Middleton's home Adelaide Cottage is likely to be a grace-and-favour residence. 

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Do Prince Edward and Countess Sophie pay rent?

Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex moved into Bagshot Park after their 1999 nuptials and they have a lease taken out on the property. It has been published that the rent on the home sets them back a minimum of £90,000 per year. 

bagshot park aerial view

Bagshot Park was gifted to Prince Edward

Do Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson pay rent?

Similarly to his brother Prince Edward, Andrew has taken out a lease on his regal home, Royal Lodge. He paid a one-off fee of £1million to secure the lease and has to fork out for refurbishments on the historical home, but it is not believed that he pays an annual rent to the Crown Estate. 

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Do Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice pay rent?

The likes of Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice are not full-time working royals and they are responsible for their own rent on properties.

It is believed their father the Duke of York covered it when they were residing at St James's Palace, but now they each have their own husbands and families, and such are likely to pay for their rent themselves. 

For a while, Eugenie lived at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s UK home of Frogmore Cottage which the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are required to pay commercial rent on, but reports suggest Harry and Meghan did not require the couple to pay the rent.

frogmore cottage

Frogmore Cottage belongs to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

How much would it cost to rent a royal palace?

UNCLE, a residential rental company, has analysed the average rental prices and the UK’s best royal residences to calculate how much it would actually cost should they ever be let.

kate middleton william kensington palace

Prince William and Kate Middleton live in Kensington Palace

Buckingham Palace unsurprisingly takes the top spot, with an estimated cost of £2.5million per month! The entirety of St James’s Palace would come in at £1.7million per month and Windsor Castle would cost £1.3million per month in rental fees.

At the lower end of the scale, but still not exactly affordable, we have Frogmore Cottage which could fetch over £17,000 in rent in just one month and the quaint two-bedroom Nottingham Cottage which comes in at a monthly rate of over £7,000.

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