Troubled past of estate where Andrew will now live

HUMILIATED Andrew is expected to have his move into a new, smaller home privately funded by The King after he was booted out of his stately country pile.

The former Prince yesterday lost his titles and his lease on the massive Royal Lodge and will now be moved to a property on Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.

A Palace statement given yesterday said that the King had “initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew.”

The former duke is now to be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and will be removed from his sprawling country home.

“His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence”, the statement said, but now the humiliated ex-prince has been slapped with an order to surrender the lease.

There are a few options for Andrew on the £60 million Sandringham estate.

Some of the disgraced royal’s potential new homes have a troubled past and most would mark a significant downgrade from his former 30-room mansion.

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.

Both are expected to leave the property as soon as possible, Fergie will move into her own accommodation which has yet to be confirmed, while Andrew’s move to Sandringham is to be funded privately by The King.

It will take months for Andrew to move to his new home on the estate with the ex-prince now reportedly moving early in the New Year, according to The Telegraph.

While Andrew already surrendered the lease on Royal Lodge sources say the relocation process will be “protracted.”

It’s hoped the timing of the move will ensure that the Royal family avoids an awkward encounter during their Christmas get-together at Sandringham.

For Chrisatmas, Andrew and Fergie are expected to remain in Windsor, 130 miles away from the rest of the firm.

Sandrignham, where Andrew is being sent in the new year, was bought for the future Edward VII when he was Albert, Prince of Wales.

Albert was known to regularly use brothels and even ended up giving evidence in court in the infamous baccarat scandal.

Currently none of the firm permanently live on the 20,000 acre estate with a sordid past but it is historically known as the family’s preferred Christmas residence.

York Cottage

Homes on the estate that Andrew could be housed in include York Cottage, which has previously been used as holiday accommodation.

The property was once called Bachelor’s Cottage and was gifted by Edward VII to his son and daughter-in-law, the Duke and Duchess of York as a wedding present in 1893. 

It was thought that Meghan and Harry were moving into the property before their departure from royal life.

Gardens House

Andrew could also be placed in Gardens House, the building that was used to house the estate’s head gardener.

It was put on the market as a holiday let this summer and boasts just six bedrooms, compared to Royal Lodge’s seven.

The Folly

A property that would be a monumental downgrade for the disgraced ex-Prince – The Folly – is a small three-bedroom cottage once the place where ladies would retire for tea.

It is currently used as a holiday let, renting for almost £2,500 for a week.

Park House

Another possibility is Park House, home to the Spencer family, and where Princess Diana was born.

Park House was formerly run as a hotel catering for disabled people, but it closed during the pandemic and has been empty ever since.

Wood Farm

Another property thought to be in the running is Wood Farm, the former home of Andrew’s late father.

It is understood that Andrew is unlikely to be housed here after his humiliating dismissal from Royal Lodge.

Wood farm was once described as “small and intimate” by Teresa Thompson, its former housekeeper.

Prince Philip used Wood Farm as a personal retreat from when he retired from public life in 2017 until his death in 2021.