Prince Edward and Sophie criticised over ‘£130k stable subletting at £30m estate’

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh have reportedly previously earned money by sub-letting converted stables on the Bagshot Park estate, which a former minister has branded “outrageous”

Prince Edward and Sophie have reportedly earnt around £130,000 a year by sub-letting converted stables on a £30million estate where they pay merely a nominal rent.

Stables adjacent to the 120-room main house leased from the Crown Estate at Bagshot Park, Surrey, have been rented out with profits going to the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh rather than taxpayers. A former minister labelled it as “outrageous”.

The Sun newspaper has disclosed that 400 metres from the 120-room main house, was recently advertised as office space for £10,834 a month, or £130,008 a year.

The building currently has no occupants. It seemed to be withdrawn from the market around December when the Public Accounts Committee started probing into the financing of royal residences.

The stables have previously been let out for profit for the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and are being refurbished with plans to put them back on the market this summer, according to The Sun. Crown Estate revenues should flow into the public coffers.

And critics argue Edward, 62 – the King’s youngest brother and 15th-in-line to the throne – already receives a favourable deal to reside at Bagshot Park.

Liberal Democrat former Home Affairs minister Norman Baker said last night: “Any money raised from those stables should only be going to one place…the Crown Estate. Crown Estate profits go directly to the Treasury, so it is the taxpayer who is losing out here.”

Baker added: “It provides a very stable income, and on top of paying virtually nothing for Bagshot Park they are raking in a whole lot more money from other sources.

“It’s an outrage they pay a peppercorn rent as it is and now Edward and Sophie are free to rake in £130,000 for a stable block as part of the deal. It is outrageous.

“The Public Accounts Committee should honour its part of the investigation and take into account leases and see which are unnecessary and unjustified when ordinary people are struggling to pay bills.”

Royal expert and author Margaret Holder added: “It is a nice little earner particularly if you are already on a peppercorn rent.”