According to the Reuters news agency, The Estate, which is in charge of managing the King's real estate holdings, filed a lawsuit against Twitter in the High Court of London last week.

The BBC has been informed that the alleged arrears include office space in central London close to Piccadilly Circus.

The dominant social media platform has not reacted to inquiries for comment.

It comes after Elon Musk, the second-richest person in the world, paid $44 billion (£36 billion) to gain control of Twitter in October of last year before laying off more than half of the company's around 7,000 global employees.

The Crown Estate contacted Twitter about renting out spaces over office premises at Air Street before taking legal action.

One of the largest landowners in the UK, The Estate is a stand-alone corporation that makes money for the Treasury to fund public spending. The Sovereign Grant, or 15% of the estate's annual excess, is then provided to the monarch to fund their official responsibilities.

Its holdings include the seabed surrounding England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, as well as ten million square feet of property in London's West End.

According to Musk, who also controls Tesla and Space X, 2,300 people work for Twitter.