A National Audit Office (NAO) report has revealed that Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie have never personally paid rent on exclusive Kensington Palace and St James's Palace properties they have occupied for nearly two decades. The revelations come as journalist Tina Brown, a friend of Princess Diana, accused the sisters of 'grifting' and 'greedy' behaviour, claiming they symbolise a 'rot at the heart' of the Royal Family alongside their parents, Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew.

Nearly Two Decades of Rent-Free Living at Kensington Palace and St James's Palace

According to the NAO report , Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie have lived in properties at Kensington Palace and St James's Palace for nearly 20 years without paying a single penny in rent. The report, prompted by the scandal surrounding Prince Andrew's peppercorn lease at Royal Lodge,details how the sisters — who perform no official royal duties — have been secretly subsidised first by their grandmother Queen Elizabeth and now by their uncle King Charles. Both women have their own careers and multi-million-pound homes elsewhere, raising questions about why taxpayer-subsidised palace apartments were necessary.

Tina Brown's Fresh Hell: Comparing Princesses to 'Grifting' Parents

Tina Brown, former editor-in-chief of Tatler and Vanity Fair and a friend of Princess Diana, wrote on her Substack column Fresh Hell that the 'gushing York daughters' should not be welcome in Prince William's 'cleaned-up Royal ensemble.' Brown described their work as cultural ambassadors to the Middle East as 'hustle bazaars for nepo nightmares and crypto creeps hoovering around for the crumbs of sovereign wealth funds.' She also alleged that the sisters rejected a request from Prince William to audit their business activities for reputational risks — a claim also made by royal author Andrew Lownie,according to the source.

The Rejected Audit and the Unspoken Accountability for Non-Working Royals

Brown's claim that Prince William sought to audit Beatrice and Eugenie's business dealings — and that they allegedly refused — points to a deeper accountability gap. The sisters are non-working royals with private income, yet they continue to enjoy sovereign-subsidised housing. The source does not provide a response from the princesses or their representatives, leaving a crucial open question: by what authority can the monarchy demand transparency from its non-working members? Former Liberal Democrat minister Norman Baker, quoted in the report, called the entire arrangement 'outrageous' and accused the Royal Family of 'taking the public for a complete ride.'

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's £300,000 Compensation Claim and Royal Lodge Lease

The NAO report also disclosed that Prince Andrew — stripped of his titles over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — was allowed to let three properties on his Windsor estate and potentially pocket the profits. He could be entitled to more than £300,000 in compensation from the Crown Estate after being forced out of Royal Lodge before the end of his 75-year lease. Other royals, including the late Queen's cousins Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and Princess Alexandra, have also benefited from long-term subsidised arrangements, the report says. Critics say the findings expose a culture of entitlement that extends well beyond the York sisters.