Prince criticised over Royal Lodge peppercorn rent deal

Pressure is mounting on Prince Andrew to give up his Windsor mansion and “take himself off to live in private” as a group of MPs urges the government to formally strip him of his dukedom.

- CAITLIN DOHERTY POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said the public is “sick” of the disgraced royal, after it emerged he had paid only a peppercorn rent on his 30-room mansion for more than 20 years.

Andrew announced he will give up use of his royal titles amid renewed focus on his links to Jeffrey Epstein. The prince vehemently denies the allegations that Virginia Giuffre, whose posthumous memoir Nobody's Girl was officially published yesterday, was forced to have sex with him three times after being trafficked by the billionaire financier.

“He’s embarrassed the royal family time and again,” Mr Jenrick said, adding that Andrew has behaved “disgracefully”.

“He should really now leave public life forever, stop having any subsidy from the taxpayer whatsoever and go and lead an entirely private life. The public are sick of Prince Andrew and the damage that he's done to the reputation of our royal family and this country.”

Meanwhile, SNP MPs at Westminster have lodged an early day motion calling for the “government to take legislative steps to remove the dukedom granted to Prince Andrew”.