Prince William will ‘do things differently’ with royal property when he is King

Prince William has big plans for his role as future King.

From modernising the monarchy to downsizing the number of working royals, he’s also considering implementing stricter rules around the family’s huge property portfolio, it’s been reported.

This includes stopping non-working royals from living rent-free in palaces, after it was revealed that King Charles pays rent for his nieces, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, through the privy purse.

The revelation was part of a wider National Audit Office (NAO) report, which last week found the girls’ father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor,

During this time, it’s estimated Andrew pocketed as much as £180,000 a year, all while paying ‘peppercorn rent’ to live there for 22 years.

Naturally, this sparked more public outrage towards Andrew, who was stripped of his titles last year by his brother, the King, due to intense scrutiny surrounding his friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

However, it was reported that Andrew had not actually done anything wrong by subletting, as he was ‘entitled under the lease to let those properties,’ royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told The i Paper.

Still, when his time comes, it’s claimed Prince William will ban the subletting of homes. A source told The Sunday Times that he wishes to ‘do things differently,’ and is attempting to ‘draw a line under the past.’

Fitzwilliams said that William will aim to do it as ‘tactfully as possible.’ He explained that the ‘problem [William] is attempting to deal with, is a lot of these things began 20 or 30 years ago or even more, and this is the way things were handled.’

He added: ‘Remember that each monarch inhabits or inherits the throne at a different time and the optics, during those various periods, obviously alter as society changes.’

The expert stated that ‘what was acceptable’ or ‘done’ years ago ‘can’t be done now or shouldn’t be done now.’

Fitzwilliams concluded that ‘William clearly wants to emphasise that things will alter when he is king,’ as he is ‘conscious of the fact that a lot is coming to light now which isn’t appropriate in our time.’

This likely includes Andrew’s arrest on his 66th birthday on suspicion of misconduct in public office. In May, it was revealed that the investigation could also look into sexual misconduct allegations.

In regard to William’s transparency, he recently made the terms of Forest Lodge’s lease — his and Kate Middleton’s ‘forever home’ — public.

It was reported that the Prince and Princess of Wales pay £307,500 a year in rent on the Grade II listed mansion. This is £100,000 more than the previous tenants.

There is also a clause in the lease that prohibits subletting the three cottages on the grounds.

Meanwhile, The Sunday Times insider said that the prince wants to ensure the monarchy is ‘fit for purpose in the modern era.’

This includes him being ‘mindful of how much the monarchy costs.’

Following the audit report, Buckingham Palace released a statement to saythat it was ‘in line with the royal household’s commitment to transparency.’

The Palace said it hopes that the ‘findings will help correct, clarify or contextualise a number of points regarding royal properties.

‘As the report notes, arrangements for properties managed by the royal household vary based on a number of factors to ensure residences are filled appropriately, depending on their location, tenants and purpose.’