A royal expert tells the Mirror why the former Duke of York is not quite as “out in the cold” as he has been suggested as he packs up and leaves his Royal Lodge mansion.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is rumoured to be moving into a sprawling but run-down farm after being evicted from his Royal Lodge residence amid the scandal surrounding his relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The former Duke of York, 65, was told to leave his long-time home and stripped of his remaining royal titles and honours by his brother, King Charles, in October, and it was confirmed he would move into a property on the King’s private Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
The new house – Marsh Farm – was described by one media outlet as “shoebox-sized”, but former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond tells the Mirror this is not strictly the case – and maybe more importantly for Andrew, is “not quite as out in the cold as it may seem”.
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She said, “Marsh Farm appears to be a perfectly comfortable old farmhouse that is set in its own grounds.” Although it appears to require a lot of work, it will undoubtedly be done at the King’s expense, if that is the case.
The former working farm is located around seven miles from the main Sandringham House, which is a favourite countryside retreat of the King, 77, and Queen Camilla, 78. The estate’s no-fly zone has also reportedly been extended to include Marsh Farm ahead of Andrew’s arrival.
Andrew is “totally familiar” with the Marshes area, according to Jennie, given the family’s history at the Sandringham estate, which was first purchased by Queen Victoria in the middle of the 1800s as a gift for her son.
She also suggests that because he has made frequent visits to the estate over the years, he is unlikely to be without company in his new home.
“He spent many childhood days playing on the estate, sometimes with Diana, the late Princess of Wales and as an adult he has spent numerous holidays there,” she said. “And I’m sure he has friends in the area. So it’s not quite as ‘out in the cold’ as it may seem.”
The five-bedroom home, which has five bedrooms, is rumored to be undergoing extensive renovations in time for Andrew’s rumored arrival, but Jennie claims that it might not be the former working royal’s permanent residence.
“That will be up to him” she said, adding, “He still has many wealthy friends around the world and has at least one offer of a palatial house in the Middle East if he wants it.
I believe he has gotten used to living a fairly solitary life in recent years. His brother is paying for his living expenses while he has his daughters and grandchildren. More than enough people are involved. He really doesn’t have much to complain about.
When Buckingham Palace announced on October 30 that King Charles had “initiated the formal process to remove the style, titles and honours of Prince Andrew”, it also said that “formal notice” had been served for him to surrender his lease on Royal Lodge, hence his downsizing.
The decision was made in response to the drama surrounding Andrew’s and Sarah Ferguson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, who was awaiting trial in his federal prison cell in August 2019.
According to the Palace statement, “These censures are deemed necessary, despite the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him, and it also expressed its support for victims of” any and all forms of abuse.”
Source: Mirror
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