Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is seemingly on the countdown to having to leave his Royal Lodge home for a smaller property in Sandringham after being forced to give up the lease
The dawn of a new year often rings in changes – and there appears to be plenty of those in store for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. The former Duke of York has been forced to give up the lease of his current 30-room mansion Royal Lodge, given the latest revelations about his association with billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
He is set to move to the King’s private Sandringham estate – with the move reportedly set to be happening before Easter, when the rest of the Royal Family normally spend their time at Windsor Castle. It has been reported that Andrew will move into Marsh Farm, a property on the Norfolk estate, which is said to be undergoing renovation for him to move into.
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However, some royal commentators have predicted that the Sandringham move may not be a permanent one. They’ve claimed that Andrew will find it hard to adjust to life in rural Norfolk and could even leave the country to forge a new life in the Middle East.
But former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond isn’t so sure a life abroad is in store for the former prince – especially given what could be laid on for him in his new home. She told the Mirror : “Andrew certainly does seem to have friends in high places in the Middle East and his life there wouldn’t be short on luxury. But it could also be very lonely. Andrew does still have his family, including his grandchildren, so I think it’s unlikely that he would want to move abroad permanently.
“Being ‘banished’ to Sandringham doesn’t strike me as too tough an existence: he will be given a house, no doubt some staff, security and a life of leisure in a beautiful part of the country. It would probably be easier for the rest of the royal family if Andrew disappeared to somewhere like the Middle East – especially as the Epstein revelations continue to drip their poison.
“But I think they feel they have done all they can to distance themselves from Andrew and the problem.” At the end of October, the King officially stripped his disgraced brother Andrew of his HRH style and his prince title, and removed his dukedom from the Roll of the Peerage over his “serious lapses” of judgment.
The move followed the publication of a posthumous memoir by Andrew’s accuser, Virginia Giuffre, and the US government’s release of documents from Epstein’s estate. It emerged that Andrew had emailed Epstein in 2011 saying “we’re in this together”, three months after he claimed he had broken all contact with the paedophile. Andrew denies all wrongdoing.
It is believed that later this year, both the King and Prince William could be visiting the United States, where the investigation into Epstein, who died in 2019, is ongoing.
And Jennie says important planning would go into making sure the Epstein scandal would not rear its head on any visits. She explained: “I don’t imagine the Epstein scandal will be too much of an issue on any visit to the United States unless there are further revelations which coincide with the visit. These things are all about diplomacy, and every care will be taken to avoid anything controversial.”
Source: Mirror
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