Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has moved out of his home in Windsor to the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
The former prince left Royal Lodge on Monday night and is currently living at Wood Farm Cottage on the Sandringham Estate while his permanent home undergoes renovations.
Buckingham Palace had said the move would happen in early 2026, but the fallout from the latest drop of Jeffrey Epstein files appears to have sped up his departure.
Pressure has been building on Mountbatten-Windsor to give evidence in the US over his relationship with the paedophile financier. He has always denied any wrongdoing.
The Palace announced that he would be moving from Royal Lodge in October, at the same time his title of prince was removed.
The Sandringham Estate is privately owned by the King and he will pay the costs of his brother’s new home. It is believed he will ultimately live at Marsh Farm on the estate.
The Andrew problem has been challenging for the Royal Family and, at times, decisions around how to handle the former prince have seemed slow and ineffective.
His lease of Royal Lodge had become symbolic of the wider problems his relationship with Epstein has caused. It raised questions about privilege, transparency and the use of public money.
It is hoped the move to Sandringham will be a decisive change that keeps Mountbatten-Windsor out of the public eye where possible.
Sources close to the Royal Family also say that although Mountbatten-Windsor’s poor judgement needed sanction, he does remain a member of the family and on a personal level there is a duty of care owed to him, hence the provision of a home in Norfolk funded by the King.
Mountbatten-Windsor, also formerly known as the Duke of York, is expected to return to Windsor over the next few weeks to collect the remainder of his belongings but his permanent base is now officially in Norfolk.
He was last seen in Windsor on Monday, riding on horseback close to his previous home. He was also photographed driving away from Windsor Castle waving at passers by.
The images were poorly received by the Palace.
A statement from Buckingham Palace about Royal Lodge in October said “formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease”.
It followed weeks of controversy over the amount of rent being paid to the Crown Estate who leased the property.
A National Audit Office report shows that when Mountbatten-Windsor took on the lease in 2003 he agreed to pay more than £8m – paying for repairs and effectively buying himself out of future rent obligations for the duration of the 75-year lease.
This deal was based on paying in advance a notional rent of £260,000 per year.
As part of the arrangement, Mountbatten-Windsor could have been entitled to £488,000 for an early surrender of his 75-year lease.
But a report from the Crown Estate for MPs on the public spending watchdog says the property is in need of so many repairs that in “all likelihood” he “will not be owed any compensation”.
Royal sources told the BBC in October that Mountbatten-Windsor’s move would be delayed until the new year to avoid the embarrassment of him being in Sandringham at Christmas – where the Royal Family traditionally gathers for the festive season.
Sandringham was bought in 1862 by the then Prince of Wales, who later became Edward VII, as a private country retreat.
The historic, sprawling estate spans approximately 31 sq miles (80 sq km) of gardens – making it around the same size as Nottingham.
Mountbatten-Windsor continues to be dogged by his links to Epstein. Thames Valley Police is assessing allegations, reported by the BBC, that a woman was sent to the UK by Epstein for a sexual encounter with Mountbatten-Windsor.
The encounter allegedly occurred at the former prince’s residence, Royal Lodge, in 2010. The woman, who is not British, was in her 20s at the time.
The BBC asked Mountbatten-Windsor for comment about the allegations when it was first reported on Sunday, but he has yet to respond, and has previously strongly denied any wrongdoing.
Her lawyer, Brad Edwards, whose US law firm has been representing Epstein victims since 2008, said that after spending the night with Mountbatten-Windsor, the woman says she was given tea and a tour of Buckingham Palace.
Her account of spending the night at Royal Lodge is the first time an Epstein survivor has alleged a sexual encounter occurred at a royal residence.
In 2014, the late Virginia Giuffre became the first woman to publicly accuse Mountbatten-Windsor of similar encounters.
She alleged that as a 17-year-old she was trafficked by Epstein and his girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, and forced to have sex with Mountbatten-Windsor – a claim he continues to deny.
Giuffre filed a civil lawsuit in the US against him in 2021, settling the case in February 2022 for an estimated £12m. She took her own life last year.
Mountbatten-Windsor’s links to Epstein are facing greater scrutiny with the release of millions of pages of documents and images by the US Department of Justice.
A recent tranche of files relating to the financier includes pictures appearing to show Mountbatten-Windsor kneeling on all fours over a woman lying on the ground.
A number of email exchanges between Epstein and Mountbatten-Windsor – which came in the years after the US billionaire pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor – were also published in the files.
The former prince is facing mounting pressure to testify before the US Congress over his dealings with Epstein.
Last week, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “In terms of testifying I have always said anybody who has got information should be prepared to share that information in whatever form they are asked to do that.
“You can’t be victim-centred if you’re not prepared to do that.”
Palace sources have claimed: “Providing testimony is now a matter for Andrew and his conscience.”
Speaking to BBC Breakfast on Wednesday, Epstein survivor Lisa Phillips said Mountbatten-Windsor testifying “would be everything”.
Epstein died in a New York prison cell on 10 August 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges.
By BBC News
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