PRINCE Andrew has paid no monetary rent on the Royal Lodge since 2003, while you paid tens of thousands in rent for the same period. Who has the better deal?
Prince Andrew: renting Royal Lodge
A listed home dating from the 19th century, the Royal Lodge has seven bedrooms and around 30 rooms in total. It is difficult to heat, has 98 hectares in grounds to be kept up, and cost the Prince £7.5 million of his own money to refurbish. And he has to share it with his ex-wife.
You: rented multiple properties
In contrast to Andrew, who is stuck in the equivalent of his brother’s guest room, you have enjoyed enviable freedom. Whether living in a bedsit above a chip shop, a modern apartment with your boyfriend, a room in a Victorian houseshare once you split up or your current studio, you have enjoyed variety, flexibility and non-fault evictions.
Prince Andrew: rent of one peppercorn (if demanded)
For a man as detached from reality as Prince Andrew, used to private jets to paedophile islands, a peppercorn is a bugger to find. He has no idea about supermarkets or online shopping. Locating the peppercorn demanded every year, year on year, has all but broken him. Consequently he is 19 peppercorns in arrears and it remains a burden.
You: rent ranging from £485 a month to £1,895 a month
Meanwhile you were charged appropriate rents for the market at the time with no difficult maintenance costs and paid them from your salary – something which the poor Prince has never received. Landlords protected you, with threats if necessary, from ever damaging your credit rating by falling into arrears and didn’t bother you by fixing stuff.
Prince Andrew: stuck in Windsor Great Park
The park is lovely but vexingly open to the public and well outside of the M25. Public transport links are minimal so if Andrew wishes to go and dance the night away at Tramp while not sweating even slightly he has to arrange a car. It is also on the Heathrow flight path, reminding him of when he used to be flown around the world and making him sad.
You: enjoyed a wide variety of locations
From a place in Zone 2 so close to rail travel it kept you awake at night to your current place in easily-commutable Brent, you’ve benefited from not being tied down. From the kebab shops of Penge to the street dealers of Wood Green you’ve sampled the rich variety of life in a manner which the Prince can only dream of. And your journey’s not over yet!
Verdict: you’ve had a far better deal
Far from begrudging the tax you’ve paid to keep a man eighth in line to the throne in a supposedly easy life, you should be counting your blessings. He wishes he had your freedom with a rent only 70 per cent of your income. A letter’s arrived, it’s going up.
