PAC publishes Royal Lodge correspondence – announces new inquiry into The Crown Estate

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, Chair of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), wrote to the Crown Estate Commissioners and HM Treasury, seeking further information on the lease arrangements for Royal Lodge on 29 October 2025.

The PAC today publishes responses to this correspondence – you can read those here:

- Letter from the Chief Executive and Second Commissioner, The Crown Estate relating to lease arrangements for Royal Lodge

- Letter from the Permanent Secretary at HM Treasury relating to lease arrangements for Royal Lodge

- Royal Lodge unredacted lease

The PAC further announces today that it will be launching an inquiry – ‘The Crown Estate.' The inquiry will be based on this correspondence, and on work from the National Audit Office updating its 2005 report, ‘The Crown Estate – Property Leases with the Royal Family'.

It will also include wider work based on the next annual report and accounts for the Crown Estate, which is due to be published in June.

The PAC will then hold an evidence session, the date of which will be announced in due course.

The Committee will consider witnesses to call once information is available on the areas to be covered at the session.

Commenting on the publication, Sir Geoffrey 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.

“Having reflected on what we have received, the information provided clearly forms the beginnings of a basis for an inquiry. The National Audit Office supports the scrutiny function of this Committee.

“We now await the conclusions the NAO will draw from this information, and plan to hold an inquiry based on the resulting evidence base in the new year.”