Princess Beatrice and Eugenie Lose Rent-Free Royal Digs As Ousting Continues

by Tom Syke

In yet another humiliation for Prince Andrew's dynasty, he is to be required to pay rent on the royal apartment occupied by his children, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, after their ousting from the family firm.

Still, its not a bad deal - he is only having to cough up about $30,000 to allow his two daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie to stay on in a four-bedroom apartment in the heart of London at St James’s Palace, according to The Daily Express's Richard Palmer.

Beatrice, 24, and Eugenie, 22, lost their taxpayer funded bodyguards and were excluded from the Jubilee balcony appearance by Prince Charles earlier this year. Charles is determined to 'slim down' the monarchy, and the the fifth and sixth in line to the throne have been told they must get jobs and will not be on the royal pay roll.

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie (Stuart Wilson / Getty Images)

They have now been told they are no longer eligible to stay on rent-free in the attic apartment – which was refurbished at a cost to the taxpayer of £250,000 in 2008 – "because they have finished full-time education and do not undertake official royal duties on behalf of the Queen," says Palmer.

"They fall into the same category as Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, who for the past two years have been forced to pay £120,000 a year for their sumptuous Kensington Palace apartment after MPs objected to them living there rent-free.

"Buckingham Palace officials described that as the market value for the Michaels’ apartment. Andrew, however, is paying a fraction of the market rent for his daughters’ apartment. The London’s estate agents Savills estimated the market rent for a four-bedroom flat in an historic building in the St James’s area at between £100,000 and £150,000 per year."

Like The Daily Beast on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for updates all day long.

Tom Sykes is a writer and journalist, and he edits The Royalist blog for the Daily Beast. Tom has worked for many publications, including a stint as a nightlife reporter and gossip columnist for the New York Post. He has written several books, most recently helping John Taylor of Duran Duran write and edit his autobiography, published by Dutton. Tom lives in London and Ireland.

For inquiries, please contact The Daily Beast at editorial@thedailybeast.com.