When Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his titles, he was also forced to leave his Royal Lodge mansion – but it seems his move away is likely to be delayed
Disgraced Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s eviction from Royal Lodge looks set to be delayed – due to a reported downsizing struggle. After being stripped of all of his titles last month over his association with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, the former prince was also forced to give up his 30-room Royal Lodge mansion.
It came after it emerged he had barely paid rent on the property for years and it was revealed he would be moving to a much smaller property on the King’s private Sandringham estate without his former wife, Sarah Ferguson. At the time, it was said the move to an unknown house in Norfolk would take place as soon as practically possible, with reports suggesting this would be sometime in the new year.
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However, according to The Sun, the move could actually be delayed until February as moving out of such a grand home into a smaller one would take time – and it is unclear if his new home would be ready.
A source said: “He has a large house where he has lived for a long time and he will be moving into a more modest house so, logically, it won’t happen this side of Christmas.”
The hold up in the former Duke of York’s move means that this year, he will have one final Christmas in his mansion. Sources say it is a welcome relief to the Royal Family because it keeps Andrew away from Sandringham during the festive season, when most of the senior royals are in residence. This situation would have been “suboptimal” and “quite awkward,” insiders believe.
Sandringham is where the royals nearly always spend Christmas and are pictured on Christmas Day on the traditional walk to church before heading back to Sandringham House for Christmas lunch.
A source told the Daily Mail: “He [Andrew]won’t be anywhere near the Big House [the nickname given to the monarch’s home at Sandringham].”
While it’s appears that Andrew’s new home and living allowances will be taken care of privately by his older brother the King – the same can’t be said for Fergie. And reports have suggested she could be tempted to write a tell-all book as a means of making cash.
However, according to the Mail, the story that some publishers consider a greater coup than Fergie’s would be that of Andrew’s. If he were to release a memoir, he would be following in the footsteps of his nephew Prince Harry, who memorably published his controversial autobiography, Spare, almost three years ago.
And one literary agent told the publication that Andrew could potentially command a £25million advance for a book, were he to agree to do it.
They explained: “With the right ghost-writer asking him the right questions, we could see the history of the House of Windsor completely rewritten with what he knows. He’s a timebomb waiting to explode.”
However, it is pointed out that if he were to go into detail about his life and those of his family, including the King, it would see his Sandringham home and other allowances arranged for him almost certainly go.
