Former Prince Andrew, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, received monthly rent of £2,000 from subletting three cottages, a residence he occupied rent-free under an arrangement with the Crown Estate.

A Public Accounts Committee probe into the Crown Estate found that Mr Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor received rent for about 20 years on his three cottages but could not provide a specific figure because the properties were sometimes not on lease.

Instead of directing rent payments to the Crown Estate, Mr Mountbatten-Windsor pocketed the funds in a decades-long arrangement that only reached the public domain this month.

In 2003, Mr Mountbatten-Windsor took a 75-year lease on the Royal Lodge and £7.5 million to renovate it. He did not pay rent.

The Crown Estate told MPs that Mr Mountbatten-Windsor had been permitted to sublet the cottages without restrictions on how much he could charge tenants.

Parliament members recommended banning subletting of Crown Estate properties, allowing exemptions only when permission was sought.

Mr Mountbatten-Windsor left the royal residence after he was linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but he denied any wrongdoing.

He was arrested in February and held for 11 hours before being released.

A Crown Estate spokesperson said the monarchy is weighing the probe’s findings and will respond in record time.

“The Public Accounts Committee report is an important part of our accountability to Parliament. We are considering its findings and recommendations and will respond to the Committee in due course,” the BBC cited the Crown Estate spokesperson as saying.