Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank are about to become a family of five, with their third child due this summer. The pair are already parents to August, five, and Ernest, two, and announced their happy news on Instagram, with their two sons holding an ultrasound scan photo. While adding another to their brood may be an adjustment, there could be an even bigger one on the horizon, and that's relating to where they call home.
The family currently splits their time between London and Portugal, and when in the UK, they reside at Ivy Cottage inside the grounds of Kensington Palace. The modest property only has three bedrooms, so they may have been seeking to upgrade to a larger Crown Estate property in due course, however, these plans could be scuppered.
The Public Accounts Committee launched an investigation into royal rents after the controversy surrounding Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's "peppercorn rent". Royal family members who are given special leases with preferential treatment, such as cut-price deals, will be fully under the spotlight. At present, Eugenie has a Crown Estate cottage in Kensington, while her sister Beatrice has a Crown Estate base inside St James's Palace, also in London.
© Getty ImagesThe sisters having grace-and-favour residences as non-working royals has raised eyebrows before, and now this formal analysis may mean their days living on palace grounds are numbered.
Why is the investigation taking place?
The National Audit Office website explains that the process is to analyse "the Crown Estate’s approach to letting and managing high-value residential properties including an update on leasing arrangements for properties occupied by members of the Royal Family" and also look into "the Royal Household’s arrangements for providing properties within the occupied royal palaces to members of the Royal family".
Committee chairman Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said: "We would like to thank The Crown Estate Commissioners and HM Treasury for their considered responses to our questions.
"In publishing these responses, the Public Accounts Committee fulfils one of its primary purposes – to aid transparency in public-interest information, as part of its overall mission to secure value for money for the taxpayer."
Life in Portugal
© InstagramAs well as having an arranged place to stay in the UK, Eugenie and Jack are lucky enough to have a gorgeous Portuguese home. The family have had a Portugal property since Jack started working for property developers, Discovery Land Company, in 2022. Eugenie occasionally shares the odd family snap from her beach visits, and she has previously opened up about how much her sons love the ocean in an exclusive interview with Best Quality Designer Handbag .
