Everyone in Britain has views about the royal family. In many cases, lots of views. Britain’s parliament, however, never lets the subject pass its lips. By long tradition, the House of Commons prohibits itself from any mention, let alone any discussion, of the monarchy or the royal family. This self-imposed gag – in which a centuries-old constitutional monarchy is unable to discuss constitutional monarchy – is infantilising and indefensible.

The gag may, however, be loosening. This week, the Commons public accounts committee announced an inquiry into the crown estate. ​T​he probe is a direct response to news that the disgraced former Prince Andrew (now Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor) and his brother Prince Edward have been paying “peppercorn rents” for very extensive properties owned by the estate. It is an extremely unusual move in the modern era.

The crown estate is a public body, established by statute in 1961. It is independent of both monarch and government. It is also a highly successful and profitable property company worth an estimated £15.5bn. Since David Cameron abolished the civil list system in 2011, the crown gets a generous and protected “sovereign grant” from the estate’s profits each year. As the........

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