The former prince Andrew is set to leave his Royal Lodge Windsor mansion for a smaller home in Sandringham – but it seems the move might not be that imminent
Shamed Andrew will “string out” his move away from Royal Lodge for as long as possible, according to sources close to the former prince. The disgraced former prince is being booted out of his Windsor mansion to go and live on the King’s private estate in Norfolk after being stripped of his titles following revelations about his association with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
It was believed the move would take place in the New Year once the royals’ Christmas celebrations at Sandringham have been wrapped up. However, it appears that his new accommodation, thought to be Marsh Farm, on the King’s estate, still needs renovations before anybody can move in – meanwhile, there are also said to be complexities in terminating his lease for Royal Lodge.
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And with Andrew reportedly refusing to move to temporary accommodation away from Royal Lodge in the meantime, a source has told the Express, Andrew will “string it out” and hold on to Royal Lodge for as long as he can.
They explained: “He never wanted to leave so he’s going to do all he can to stay for as long as possible.” While royal expert Phil Dampier added: “The reality is that he will drag it out as long as possible because he doesn’t actually want to leave. I think it’s quite likely he will be there for another six months. He’s not in any rush to leave because he didn’t want to leave in the first place. So the longer he can string it out, he will.”
It seems even if the King wanted to speed up the process of getting his younger brother out of Royal Lodge, there are limits to what he can do.
Earlier this month, the powerful Public Accounts Committee, which looks into whether taxpayers’ money is being wisely spent, published details of the property arrangements provided by Crown Estate chief executive Dan Labbad.
It shows that Andrew gave the minimum 12 months’ notice that he would surrender Royal Lodge on October 30 – the day he lost his titles – meaning he could stay there until October next year. Andrew has spent Christmas at Royal Lodge, 140 miles away from the Royal Family’s Christmas at Sandringham – with even his daughters choosing to spend the festive season with their royal relatives.
The former Duke of York was seen driving his car close to his home on Christmas Day while Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and their husbands attended church with the King and Queen and rest of the royals at Sandringham.
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.
