Prince Andrew said to be in talks with king's aides over leaving Royal Lodge

Prince Andrew is reportedly in advanced talks with King Charles's senior aides over moving out of his Royal Lodge home after a week in which his "peppercorn" rent tenancy has come under scrutiny.

- Caroline Davies

Pressure has mounted on the royal family for Andrew to vacate the 30-room mansion in Windsor Great Park amid continuing controversy surrounding his links to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and the posthumous publication of the memoirs of Virginia Giuffre, who accused the prince of sexual assault.

The public accounts committee has confirmed it is writing to the crown estate and the Treasury after it emerged Andrew paid £1m for the lease of the property in 2003, and was required to undertake £7.5m refurbishment costs, but that he has since paid "one peppercorn" of rent if demanded per year.

Buckingham Palace is trying to ramp up pressure on the prince to voluntarily give up the residence, which he cannot be evicted from due to a "cast iron" lease with the crown estate. Discussions over his living arrangements have been held daily since the revelations this week, the Telegraph reported.