Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has left Royal Lodge and his much
discussed move came under cover of darkness.
The former prince quit the thirty room royal residence on the
Windsor estate on the night of February 2 2026, departing after
sunset for a temporary base in Norfolk.
The King’s brother surrendered the lease on Royal Lodge when he
was stripped of his royal titles. King Charles removed Andrew’s HRH
and Prince in November, issuing Letters Patent to that effect. The
King also wrote to the Lord Chancellor and asked him to remove the
titles of Duke of York, Earl of Inverness and Baron Killyleagh from
the Roll of Peerage. Since then, the third child of Queen Elizabeth
II and Prince Philip has been known as Andrew
Mountbatten-Windsor.
In recent weeks, work has been going on at property on the
Sandringham estate where Andrew will live in a property that
belongs to King Charles – the Monarch owns the Sandringham estate.
Windsor is part of the Crown Estate.
However, it is understood that the move was to a temporary base
at Sandringham. According to The Sun, the timing
reflected growing concern at the highest levels of the monarchy
that the steady drip of revelations was becoming untenable. While
Buckingham Palace has declined to comment, it is understood that
the King had made clear that Andrew’s continued presence at Royal
Lodge was no longer compatible with efforts to protect the
reputation of the Crown.
It came as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor faced fresh pressure over
his friendship with convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew
was named several times in documents related to Epstein that were
released at the weekend. Among the new material were images of
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor kneeling over a woman who is lying on
the floor.
There is also fresh pressure on his former wife, Sarah Ferguson,
whose own friendship with Epstein was again in the spotlight.
Documents relating to her included an email in which Epstein
mentioned her visiting him just days after his release from prison
– he was jailed for sex offences.
Sarah Ferguson had shared Royal Lodge with Andrew for over
twenty years. However, it is understood that she will move to a
separate property.
