Princesses Eugenie, Beatrice’s royal homes come under fire: Palace responds - The News International
Fresh backlash has once again found Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice’s door and it might end with them losing their royal homes.
What is pertinent to mention is that neither sister is a working royal and their royal homes are paid for by King Charles’ private pocket book. This includes both Ivy Cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace, which is in Eugenie’s use, as well as an apartment at St. James's Palace that is in the use of Beatrice.
However, these are not their main residences, both sisters reside in privately managed properties, one being in the Cotswolds, which Princess Eugenie’s family uses, and the other being in Portugal, and managed by Beatrice.
However, according to an investigation by the National Audit Office (NAO) their father’s private income from subletting properties just made headlines and some warn it might spell doom for the sisters too because The Public Accounts Committee (PAC)’s publishing also brought the spotlight onto Andrew’s daughters.
The chairman of the PAC, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, also called for transparency in royal property management, and said, “this inquiry arose from a number of questions around the value for money of the financial arrangements pertaining to Royal Lodge.”
According to Hello! “with the publication of our report, those arrangements are now fully public. But our inquiry sought to add wider value by scrutinising the entirety of The Crown Estate's governance and management of its large property portfolio. We hope that our recommendations in this area help it fulfil its statutory obligations for the benefit of the taxpayer, on behalf of the Crown.”
Shortly thereafter a Buckingham Palace spokesperson came forward too and they said, “we are grateful to the Public Accounts Committee and its members for their work on this inquiry. We acknowledge the Committee’s recommendation and will carefully consider it as part of our commitment to continuous improvement.”
