Princess Beatrice & Eugenie: What Prince Andrew's Inheritance Means

The situation with disgraced former Prince Andrew affects not only him, but also his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, and his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. Andrew has now been stripped of his titles and ordered to vacate his home at Royal Lodge due to repeated scandals tied to his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. But how has this really affected his daughters? Reportedly, the King evicting Andrew out of Royal Lodge, where he held a 75-year lease, will end up hurting the two quite a bit, as Andrew was reportedly hoping he could one day hand over the property to his daughters. Related: Here’s what each royal inherited from Queen Elizabeth Now, property expert Elliot Castle, of We Buy Any Home, says that the door for any potential inheritance has closed “entirely”. “[This] would only have been possible while the lease remained in place,” he said. “Once that lease is surrendered or terminated, there is nothing to pass on. From a property standpoint, that closes the door entirely. Royal Lodge would revert fully to the Crown Estate, with no residual claim for Andrew or his daughters.” In the lease there were specifications about the conditions the property needed to be kept in, and a clause where Andrew had to “permit the landlord [Crown Estate] and persons authorised by the landlord at all reasonable times upon reasonable notice to enter upon the premises to ascertain whether the tenant’s obligations herein have been complied with and to examine their state and condition and use and to take a plan or prepare a schedule of fixtures or a schedule of dilapidations and to make valuations.” Reportedly, however, the property was not inspected once in the 22 years Andrew lived there. With Royal Lodge being worth £30m, passing them onto Beatrice and Eugenie would have meant a pretty sizable inheritance. But it is not to be. And RadarOnline.com is reporting that the two expected the property would go to them, so the loss of that has left them “fuming” at the injustice. “There was an expectation that Royal Lodge would one day benefit Beatrice and Eugenie, even if only as a safety net. That has now gone completely.” “They are angry because this is not about extravagance. It was about long-term security that has been wiped out. Their dream of an easy life in retirement is now gone,” a source said. Part of their anger comes from expectations about what it meant to have a lease on the property. “The understanding was that the arrangement insulated the property from short-term drama. That belief has proved badly misplaced.” Both Beatrice and Eugenie have homes, so this was never about them moving into Royal Lodge. A source said, “This was not just a place to live. It was a valuable leasehold asset that justified significant personal investment over time.” Another source said: “Neither princess needs Royal Lodge for housing, but losing a $40million asset changes the shape of their futures,” adding, “They feel they are paying the price for decisions they did not make. The anger is real, and it is directed squarely at how their father’s scandal keeps shrinking their options.”