Since his headline-making arrest, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor has been holed up on the Sandringham estate, but what does his life in disgrace look like behind closed doors?
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s life lies in tatters after his historic arrest last week. The disgraced former duke spent 11 hours being interrogated at Aylsham police station in Norfolk and was captured on camera looking shell-shocked, haunted and dishevelled as he was driven away.
Indeed, the gilded life Andrew once led as the Queen’s ‘favourite son’ must feel like a distant memory for the 66-year-old who, if charged and found guilty of misconduct in public office could face anything up to a life sentence in jail. Gone are the palaces, the staff, the parties and the friends. He now lives in exile in Sandringham, a pariah in the eyes of both his family and the public.
The police operation at the Royal Lodge, in Windsor, relating to the arrest of Andrew on suspicion of misconduct in public office has now ended, Thames Valley Police confirmed, leaving Andrew waiting in limbo to learn his fate. But what does life after being ‘released under investigation’ look like? From ‘house arrest’ to a ban on his hobbies, the Mirror explores his life in purgatory…
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‘House arrest’
Following his release from the police station, Andrew was driven on the hour-long journey back to his new five-bedroom home, Wood Farm, where he lives alone. New fencing was seen being erected today, shielding parts of the home from view.
A source told the Mail he’s under something similar to ‘house arrest’ and under near-constant surveillance. “His movements are restricted – he is not to leave the grounds without permission nor without a chaperone – and visitors must be pre-approved,” the source claimed.
“His communications were being monitored. The King provided a small team – a cook, housekeeper, general factotum – to look after him. They are effectively warders, rather than servants.”
Once renovations are complete, he will move into another, smaller property on the King’s Sandringham estate – Marsh Farm. It’s a far cry from his former residence, the sprawling 30-room Royal Lodge in Windsor, and sits on a flood plain underthreat from flooding by a nearby bog and the North Sea.
There have been sightings, too, of a pest-control van near Marsh Farm. A potential rodent problem is likely exacerbated by a bizarre rule on the Sandringham estate which forbids residents from owning a cat to protect local wildlife, such as pheasants and other game birds. It is believed the rule was put in place by Queen Elizabeth II.
Cut-off from outside world
The tiny village of Wolferton on the Sandringham estate, where the disgraced former Prince’s new home is based, lost internet connection for a month last autumn. Since then the local parish council has been pushing for a better and faster full fibre connection for the Royals and other residents.
The area has a poor mobile phone signal so most residents rely on a good internet connection to make phone calls, as well as to browse and watch streaming services. Now, engineers have installed high speed internet outside Marsh Farm which will enable him to watch Netflix.
It comes after Sky was installed at Marsh Farm a few weeks ago in preparation for his move. One of the engineers laughed as they installed the wires saying: “I love my job – imagine going to work and doing all this in front of all the world’s media. You couldn’t make it up!”
Andrew’s security team have been seen driving around the village in the past few days but Andrew has not been spotted since he returned to Wood Farm last Thursday evening. He has now been living at Wood Farm for three weeks and is expected to move to nearby Marsh Farm in April after renovations are complete. There was drama yesterday after two fire engines and a response vehicle raced up the main drive to Andrew’s home.
Pleasures ‘banned’
Holed up at Wood Farm, lonely Andrew has a great deal of time on his hands. But he is restricted with what he can do. Before moving to Sandringham , Andrew was regularly seen riding his horse around the Windsor Estate by Royal Lodge. But as further details about the Epstein scandal emerged, it became an unpalatable sight.
Indeed, it was photos of Andrew trotting around and waving at members of the public – seemingly completely remorseless – that was the final straw for King Charles, who then decided to expedite his eviction.
“Waving at the public harked back to his royal days when he was used to adulation and respect,” an insider said at the time. “Andrew is having difficulty acknowledging reality and it was increasingly causing concern at the Palace – both as a sign of his mental state and because it wouldn’t play well with the public witnessing him still enjoying the trappings of royalty.”
Royal expert Jennie Bond told the Mirror: “You’d think he’d be feeling humbled, at the very least. But, judging by his jovial behaviour riding and driving around Windsor Great Park in the past few days, he is as arrogant and tone deaf as ever. The optics of that were not lost on the Palace, and there was considerable relief when he finally left Royal Lodge, under cover of darkness.”
Indeed, Andrew’s future new home was reportedly chosen because while it is on the Sandringham estate, it’s not too close to the main house, which the Royal Family use for special occasions including Christmas Day. It also has the benefit of keeping him out of the public gaze. Wood Farm is far more secluded than Royal Lodge, and cannot be seen from public thoroughfares, making unpalatable sightings far less likely.
Now, in what will be a bitter blow, Andrew has reportedly been told he is not to ride around his new home on the Sandringham estate. A source told The Sun : “Since his arrest last week he has been ordered not to go horse riding. It’s considered a bad look. They don’t think he should be seen grinning and smiling on his horse like he was in Windsor.
“But it was one of the few things he actually enjoyed doing so what on earth is he going to do with his time?” The riding ban follows the voluntary surrender of his gun licence to the police last year, ending another of Andrew’s favourite pastimes.
‘Friendless’
Unsurprisingly, friends are in short supply for the beleaguered royal. His social circle is said to be non-existent as former pals and acquaintances scramble to stay away from Andrew in light of his association with Epstein. And with such a spotlight on the ex-Duke – even more so since his arrest – all goings on around the Sandringham estate are under press scrutiny, making visits highly unlikely.
Furthermore, he is persona non grata, and not welcome anywhere with the majority of his former friends having “turned their backs” on him
Sarah Ferguson
After reportedly fleeing to an expensive and lavish wellness retreat in Switzerland in January, Sarah is thought to be back in the UK. However, she remains in hiding, with no public sightings of the former duchess made since the scandal exploded. She was staying at the £13,000-a-day Paracelsus Recovery Clinic in Zurich, Switzerland and is said to have left at the end of January.
It’s one of a number of rumoured locations; Sarah is also said to have spent time in the French Alps before moving on to the United Arab Emirates – where she reportedly reunited with her youngest daughter Eugenie, who was in Doha attending an art fair as part of her job with art dealer Hauser and Wirth.
Sarah is then said to have travelled to Florida with her son-in-law Edoardo Mapelli-Mozzi – Princess Beatrice’s husband – as he attended a design conference in Palm Beach, before moving on to a French ski resort to ‘get her head together’ with friends.Most recently, she is said to have hopped over to Switzerland to join Eugenie’s half-term ski holiday in Gstaad last week.
She is now understood to be hiding out in the UK, thanks to the loyalty of some close friends. Insiders told the Mail that Sarah has since been ‘sofa-surfing on a global scale’ – relying on her daughters to help her keep a low profile by piggy-backing on their work and social arrangements.
She is said to be convinced that it is vital to keep her “distance” from Andrew, with whom she remained very close after their divorce in the mid-1990s. They are said to be in close contact behind closed doors, however.
Royal commentator Ingrid Seward has followed the relationship between the former duke and duchess – who once described themselves as ‘the happiest divorced couple in the world ’ – since they met, and for three decades since they split.
She told the Mail Online: “I would love to see her rush to his side. God knows he would have rushed to hers, were this the other way around. But she is busy looking after number one. I doubt we’ll see her for a while.”
