Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was reportedly spirited away in the middle of the night from the Royal Lodge where he lived for many years.
The former prince was “sent by car to the Norfolk hinterland” on Monday amid the ongoing Epstein scandal, royal sources told the Daily Mail.
“It was arranged and carried out in secret and hastily, leaving Royal Lodge staff to pack up the rest of Andrew’s belongings,” an insider said of the move on Saturday.Andrew was reportedly moved into temporary accommodation at Wood Farm in Sandringham, Norfolk.
Sources told the media outlet that the decision was made by Prince William and King Charles on Sunday night following “urgent consultations” at Sandringham.
Andrew is currently said to be waiting to renovate his permanent residence at Marsh Farm, but royal author Andrew Rowney told Page Six last month that Andrew could end up living further away than Marsh Farm in the wake of the ongoing scandal.
The author of “Title: The Rise and Fall of the House of York” said he heard that the exiled prince was moving to Bahrain.
The BBC reported earlier this week that the former prince was seen riding a horse near Windsor’s Royal Lodge on Monday, and a cameraman captured him waving to onlookers as he drove away from Windsor Castle.
“Waving to the public reminded them of their royal days, when they were used to admiration and respect,” a source told the Daily Mail on Saturday.
“Andrew had a difficult time coming to grips with reality, which was causing increasing concern at the palace. It was a sign of his mental state and we didn’t want the public to see him still enjoying the trappings of royalty.”
Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
Back in October, an announcement was made that Royal Lodge’s “formal notice to relinquish its lease has been served.” Andrew was also stripped of his then-titles “Duke of York” and “Prince” by King Clares.
“His Majesty has today begun formal proceedings to strip Prince Andrew of his style, title and honors,” Buckingham Palace told Page Six in a statement at the time.
“His tenancy agreement at Royal Lodge has so far provided him with legal protection to continue to reside. A formal notice to abandon the tenancy has now been served and he will move to alternative private accommodation.”
The statement continued: “These charges are deemed necessary despite the fact that he continues to deny the charges against him.”
Andrew’s official move from his longtime home comes after the release of new documents and allegations about late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Last week, the Justice Department released more than 3 million records related to Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 at the age of 66.
They include a photo of Andrew crouching over an unidentified woman lying beneath him, an email that appears to confirm the authenticity of a 2001 photo of Andrew with then-17-year-old Virginia Giuffre, and an email from Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson containing lewd comments about their then-19-year-old daughter Eugenie.
Thames Valley Police are currently reportedly investigating allegations of an incident that allegedly took place at Mountbatten-Windsor’s former mansion in 2010, although the former prince has repeatedly denied any charges of wrongdoing.
Friends told Page Six on Tuesday that Andrew and Ferguson’s daughter Princess Eugenie, 35, is struggling amid the ongoing scandal. “I know Eugenie feels like she’s being smeared with a brush that’s not hers, that’s not her father’s,” a friend told Us. “She’s very, very frustrated.”
Meanwhile, sources told the Daily Mail in a statement published on Saturday that Andrew is “avoiding the press”.
“He firmly believes he did nothing wrong and definitely feels badly mistreated and badly treated,” a source told the outlet.
“Unlike others who have expressed regret for their association with Epstein, he still refuses to do so. Apologizing to Epstein’s victims would mean guilty.”
The author of the book, Lowney, told the publication that Ms Fergson, who the publication reported had been “secretly visiting the Royal Lodge in recent weeks”, was likely to have fled the country. “When there’s a scandal, she runs away,” he said. “She repeated it.”
She added: “He’s of no use to her anymore. He’s too toxic. It was fine when she lived at Royal Lodge and they could co-parent their daughters. All of that paid off for her, but now it’s all over and she’s in a daze.”
