Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is said to have had very few visitors since he was booted out of his Royal Lodge mansion in Windsor and moved to the Sandringham estate
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s siblings are believed to have stepped up behind the scenes to support the disgraced prince.
Since being banished to Sandringham at the start of the year following revelations in the Epstein files, the former Duke of York has had very few visitors to his temporary home of Wood Farm. And since his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in a public office on his 66th birthday in February, it is said he has not seen hsi older brother the King, while his daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie appear to have distanced themselves from their father.
However, with concerns over Mountbatten-Windsor’s well-being continuing to grow, it seems Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, and his older sister Anne have stepped up.
Edward, and his wife Sophie are said to have visited him at Wood Farm over the Easter break for dinner in what has been described as a “brotherly welfare check”. It came after the couple had to change their Easter plans and stay in a separate property rather than Wood Farm, their usual accommodation around this time of year, as Mountbatten-Windsor was still living there. He has since moved to Marsh Farm.
While it is also understood that Anne, who has faced protesters at events shouting about her brother and his connections to Epstein, has been in phone contact with him, with it reported she even suggested he could move to her Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire.
A source told the Telegraph: “This is a sibling issue now. Who else does he have left?” While another source added: “He hasn’t gone quietly [from Royal Lodge] put it that way. He didn’t want to go and doesn’t want to be at Marsh Farm, but he also doesn’t have much choice.”
It comes after Edward became the first member of the Royal Family to publicly speak out on the Epstein scandal, saying it’s “really important always to remember the victims”. He made the remarks back in February when he was asked about it during an appearance on a panel at a conference in Dubai.
At the summit, he was asked “how are you coping” amid the release of the new files. And Edward said: “Well, with the best will in the world, I’m not sure this is the audience that is probably the least bit interested in that.
“They all came here to listen to education, solving the future, but no, I think it’s all really important always to remember the victims and who are the victims in all this? A lot of victims in this.”
The ex-prince Andrew has been laying low in recent weeks, and has only been seen a handful of times, cutting a lonely figure either walking his dogs or driving on the Sandringham estate.
He was stripped by the King of both his right to be a prince and his dukedom late last year over his association with the paedophile. Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide last year, alleged that she was forced to have sex three times with Andrew, including when she was 17, and also in London after she was trafficked by Epstein, and at an orgy on Epstein’s private Caribbean island.
Andrew’s arrest in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office came following allegations he shared sensitive information with Epstein during his time as the UK’s trade envoy. He has denied any wrongdoing over his links to Epstein regarding Ms Giuffre, but has not directly responded to the latest allegations.
Meanwhile, his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who was also booted out of Royal Lodge at the same time as her former husband, has gone to ground since she too was embroiled in the Epstein files scandal.
She has not been seen in public since December and US congressman Suhas Subramanyam has requested she gives evidence about her “close personal and business ties” to Epstein as part of an investigation.
However, an insider told the Mirror that the former Duchess has made it very clear to those closest to her that she will not go to the USA again. An insider said: “Sarah has made it clear to those around her she will never set foot in America again. She is deeply worried about the reaction she would face, whether from Epstein’s victims or scrutiny from Congress.
“She feels it would be unbearable and does not want to be put in a position under oath where she would be asked not only about Epstein but also about Andrew. It has not been a difficult decision despite how deeply entrenched in America she once was.” As a non-US citizen, Ferguson, 66, is not compelled to appear before Congress or respond to the request.
