There is something oddly fitting about Andrew Mountbatten Windsor ending up in a home on the Sandringham Estate.

The estate was bought for the future Edward VII when he was Albert, Prince of Wales. Albert was a frequenter of brothels who ended up giving evidence in court in the infamous baccarat scandal, which concerned cheating at cards. In short, the first royal resident of the estate was a model of impropriety, and now the latest tenant arrives similarly drenched in scandal.

This week Buckingham Palace announced that Andrew would leave his long-time home, Royal Lodge, and move to a property on the King’s $65.6 million Sandringham estate in Norfolk, as part of measures to remove his remaining royal privileges.

Royal Lodge, in Windsor Great Park, England.

The Palace statement said that the King had “initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew,” adding that the duke would now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.

“His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence,” the statement said.

“Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation. These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.

“Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.”

The move to Sandringham will be funded privately by the King.

The then Duke and Duchess of York—now Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and Sarah Ferguson—in Canada, 1987.

Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, have lived at the Royal Lodge since the early 2000s, and lease the property from the Crown Estate. They are expected to vacate the property as soon as possible and Ferguson will move into her own accommodation which has yet to be confirmed.

Since it was purchased as a country home for the Prince of Wales in 1862, Sandringham has remained a private royal property.

None of the royal family permanently live on the estate, which covers 20,000 acres, but it has historically been their preferred residence for Christmas and new year.

According to the estate’s Web site, more than 200 people make their living from the estate, including gamekeepers, gardeners and farmers, as well as workers for Sandringham’s sawmill and its apple juice pressing plant.

Trading Places

Other options for Andrew

York Cottage

The Palace has declined to rule out the possibility that York Cottage could be a potential new home for Andrew. The cottage has previously been used as holiday accommodation, the estate office and accommodation for estate employees.

Previously known as Bachelor’s Cottage, it was gifted by Edward VII to his son and daughter-in-law, the Duke and Duchess of York, the future George V and Queen Mary, as a wedding present in 1893. Before that, Prince Albert Victor, Edward VII’s eldest son, lived there until his death in 1892.

The property was earmarked for Meghan and Harry before their departure from royal life.

Gardens House

Another option could be to rent Gardens House to the former prince. The building which once housed the estate’s head gardener was put on the market as a holiday let this summer. It has six bedrooms and already has one review which declares it to be “very well presented”.

Park House

A third possibility is Park House which was the home of the Spencer family and was where Princess Diana was born. The Spencers moved to Althorp in 1975 and, in 1987, Elizabeth II gifted it to the care charity Leonard Cheshire Disability. They ran it as a hotel catering for disabled people, but it closed during the pandemic and has been empty ever since.

Wood Farm

It is understood that Andrew is unlikely to move into his late father’s former home of Wood Farm. Prince Philip used Wood Farm as a personal retreat from when he retired from public life in 2017 until his death in 2021, while Elizabeth II stayed there regularly instead of opening up the mansion house.

The cottage has been described as “small and intimate” by Teresa Thompson, its former housekeeper.

While it might perhaps be more apposite, Andrew is unlikely to end up in a smaller, three-bed property which was once where the ladies retired for tea but is now used as a holiday let, available for a week next month at $3,280. It is called The Folly.

Ellie McDonald is a news reporter at The Times of London. Jack Blackburn is a history correspondent at The Times of London

The Times (of London)
Photo illustration: Chop Choppish Shop. Photos: Peter MacDiarmid/Shutterstock (Andrew); Paul Popper/Popperfoto/Getty Images (Sandringham House background); Heritage Images/Alamy (Royal Lodge); Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty Images (Canada)