The King has instructed Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to clear out his former Windsor home. Last month, the monarch brought forward a deadline for the former Prince Andrew to leave the 30 room Royal Lodge mansion.
This was after the disgraced ex-royal was repeatedly named in the latest tranche of files relating to the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The King ordered his shamed brother to leave the Windsor home he had lived in for over 20 years, paying a peppercorn rent after signing an initial lease worth £7.5million in 2002. Andrew denies any wrongdoing.
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Over the last few days, royal aides have been busy clearing out the Royal Lodge’s remaining possessions including the staff quarters where Andrew was waited on night and day.
Skips have also been loaded and removed from the estate, with removal vans seen coming and going. Staff have also been setting fire to further unwanted belongings of their own, reports the Mirror.
One source said: “Andrew was told everything has to be out and absolutely nothing was to be left behind. He hasn’t been back to collect anything, leaving staff to. Everything has to be out by the weekend and we’ve been told no trace of the former occupants or staff should remain.”
Palace sources insisted the burning of furniture and other items on the estate belonged to Andrew’s former staff. The once busy Royal Lodge estate appeared largely deserted last week. Guards were not seen staffing the gatehouse at the entrance to Windsor Great Park, close to the gates of the disgraced royal’s former home.
Aerial photos showed a skip, full to the brim, close to the rear of the 30-room royal residence. Another yellow-coloured skip was also visible at the front of the estate, behind the front gates.
It was placed outside the quarters of some of Andrew’s former servants, including one remaining staff member who formerly worked for the disgraced royal.
On Tuesday, the man, understood to be one of Andrew’s former valets, was seen burning belongings, including furniture, on the grounds of the Royal Lodge estate.
On Wednesday, removal men were seen loading items, including a mattress, into two vans outside the man’s home. The removals firm was JDL, which according to its website specialises in Television and Film Transport.
Online testimonials show the company previously worked on Netflix show The Crown, which charts the lives of members of the modern Royal family, including Andrew. Our source added: “The estate is like a ghost town as so many staff have left and it’s now pretty much empty.
“Who knows when it will be done up as lots of building work is needed to bring it up to its former glory, like when the Queen Mother was in residence.”
Andrew’s exit from Royal Lodge – along with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson who lived with him rent free for much of the last two decades – cements his spectacular fall from grace.
The King has stripped away Andrew’s round the clock security as well as his personal allowance. He will no longer have a valet at his disposal or be lavished with taxpayer cash, as he was throughout his pampered life.
After finally having his titles and honours stripped away by the King last October, he was driven away from Windsor on Monday, February 2, and taken 132 miles away to Sandringham under the cover of darkness to avoid being seen.
The Mirror previously revealed how Andrew had to be granted permission to return to Windsor to clear out any extra belongings he had not previously removed or put into storage after he heaped shame on the royal family.
But he has not returned since he left and set up temporary home at Wood Farm on the Norfolk estate, where the late Prince Philip spent much of his final years. Andrew was photographed last weekend for the first time since his arrest, walking his dogs with security on the Norfolk estate.
In the coming days he is expected to move into a nearby five bedroom cottage, Marsh Farm, which has undergone extensive renovations in order to make it habitable for Andrew.
New security fences have been erected with a Sky TV engineer seen installing television and broadband services. Royal sources have confirmed that the King has met the refurbishment costs himself due to his brother’s wrecked finances.
Last week, a mobile home was delivered to Sandringham and installed right next to his new home of Marsh Farm. Sources have confirmed the luxury caravan will be used for security staff, paid for by the King, to stay over when needed.
He will have access to a cook and a cleaner at his new home, but it is unclear who is meeting the cost. The King had already stripped away his brother’s permanent security detail as well as his allowance, leaving him reliant on handouts at the grace of the monarch, when he was dramatically arrested on his 66th birthday – February 19.
Officers from Thames Valley Police are investigating claims that the former prince had committed misconduct in a public office. Andrew was questioned for 11 hours by detectives assessing claims that he shared sensitive information with Epstein when he was a UK trade envoy.
The allegations stem from documents released by the US justice department relating to Epstein and his links to the rich and powerful. Emails apparently sent by the King’s brother appear to show Mountbatten-Windsor sharing reports of official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore.
Another email appeared to send Epstein a confidential brief on investment opportunities in the reconstruction of Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing or accusations against him, but has not directly responded to these latest allegations.
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