LONDON, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Britain's King Charles provided £1.5 million ($1.98 million) to help settle repair costs on the mansion where his younger brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, lived before he was forced out over his ties with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Last year, Charles stripped Mountbatten-Windsor of his title of prince and told him to move out of his Windsor home, seeking to distance the royal family from the Epstein scandal. Mountbatten-Windsor was later arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Public outrage over Mountbatten-Windsor's alleged behaviour has led to heightened scrutiny of his finances. It was revealed that return for paying for renovations worth £7.5 million on the mansion, the former prince had for years paid a "peppercorn rent" — effectively nothing — to live there.
Britain's Crown Estate, which manages King Charles' public property, said a £1.8-million bill for dilapidations had been settled, and it was reduced by £302,000 as compensation for Mountbatten-Windsor having to end the lease early.
A royal source said on Friday that Charles had made the funds available from his private income.
LEASE ENDING EARLY CUTS REPAIR BILL
"The lease for Royal Lodge has ended and our focus now is firmly on its future use and the opportunities to generate additional financial value for the nation from its early return," a spokesperson for The Crown Estate said.
Mountbatten-Windsor now lives in a house on Charles' Sandringham estate in eastern England.
He secured a court victory on Thursday when British police said warrants they secured to search Mountbatten-Windsor's properties had been issued unlawfully and must be quashed, but the police investigation following his arrest is ongoing.
He has always denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, and said he regrets their friendship.
A Buckingham Palace source said this week that the former prince had been told that money provided from private funds by the king should not be used to fund his legal challenge.
($1 = 0.7564 pounds)
(Reporting by Sarah Young and Michael Holden; Editing by Kate Holton and Toby Chopra)
