A Palace Under Pressure

It has been quite a week for Buckingham Palace. From explosive allegations of state secret leaks to a damning watchdog report exposing rent-free living arrangements for two non-working royals, the institution finds itself under an uncomfortable spotlight — and there is every sign the scrutiny is only going to intensify.

At the centre of the storm, as so often in recent years, is Prince Andrew. The disgraced former Duke of York was photographed on Thursday driving near his home on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, sporting a conspicuous purple bruise around his eye. Reports quickly linked the mark to a non-serious medical condition rather than anything connected to the swirl of legal and political trouble surrounding him — but the timing could hardly have been worse.

Prince Andrew in a black military dress uniform with gold epaulettes, a blue sash, and medal ribbons, standing outdoors on a sunny day.

Thirty Thousand Emails and a Police Inquiry

The bruise story broke barely a week after it emerged that Buckingham Palace had been handed a vast cache of emails accusing Andrew of leaking confidential state information during his years as Britain's trade envoy. Around 30,000 messages, said to detail the 66-year-old's private financial dealings and business contacts, were reportedly passed to the Lord Chamberlain back in 2020. Those emails are now understood to sit at the heart of a police inquiry into alleged misconduct in public office.

'The issue of witnessing, including all the possible witnesses, is something the committee would give consideration to.'

The messages are alleged to include claims that Andrew shared sensitive government information through his unofficial business activities. He denies any wrongdoing and has not been charged. Buckingham Palace has declined to address the specifics of the leak allegations, saying only that it cannot comment while the police investigation remains active. All such allegations should, of course, be treated with caution until investigators conclude their work.

A black-and-white photo of Prince Andrew lying horizontally on his right side on several peoples' laps whose faces are redacted with black rectangles while Ghislaine Maxwell is standing behind looking down smiling, set in an elegant room with a fireplace and lamps.

Andrew's troubles have been compounding for years. His formal role as a working royal collapsed following his disastrous 2019 Newsnight interview and his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. King Charles removed his taxpayer-funded police protection in August 2024. Now he is also expected to give evidence in court in July at the trial of Alex Jenkinson, 39, who has been charged with using threatening behaviour after an alleged confrontation near Andrew's Sandringham home last month.

The Rent Row: Beatrice, Eugenie and a Commons Inquiry

If Andrew's situation wasn't uncomfortable enough reading for the Palace, a separate report published on Friday by the National Audit Office (NAO) has thrown fresh unwanted attention onto the broader question of how the royal family uses — and pays for — its property arrangements.

The watchdog's report revealed that Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, both non-working royals, have been living rent-free in their respective homes within royal palaces for more than 15 years. Their rental payments at St James's Palace and Kensington Palace are covered by the King using the Privy Purse, his own private income. The arrangement dates back to the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, and royal sources have confirmed it remains under regular review. Buckingham Palace is understood to be keen to demonstrate transparency amid heightened scrutiny of its property dealings.

Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie dressed in black mourning attire with black hats, one wearing a veiled fascinator, standing solemnly in front of a large wooden door.

The report was originally commissioned following public outcry over Andrew's own lease at Royal Lodge in Windsor, where he was permitted to pay a peppercorn rent for decades — and, it has now emerged, was allowed to sublet three of the eight cottages in the grounds, collecting rental payments right up until April this year, several months after being stripped of his titles.

A YouGov poll published alongside the NAO findings made uncomfortable reading for the Palace: 69 per cent of Britons said Andrew should not have been permitted to sublet those cottages.

MPs Could Summon the Royals

The fallout is far from over. The NAO's findings will form the basis of a Commons inquiry set to launch at the end of June, when the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will examine how royal estates are managed and whether they represent value for money for the taxpayer. One anonymous MP on the committee did not mince their words, saying the report raised questions about people benefiting from public money despite not appearing to do any work in return.

Most dramatically, MPs are understood to be considering summoning members of the royal family — potentially including Andrew himself — to give evidence before Parliament. Sir Keir Starmer has previously said he supports proper scrutiny of royal property arrangements, and with a full Commons inquiry now on the horizon, the pressure on the institution to be open about its finances has never been greater.

For Buckingham Palace, the message from Westminster is clear: the days of quietly managed property deals and unasked questions may well be coming to an end.