Sandringham Estate: The Queen’s favourite retreat where Andrew will move after Royal Lodge exit
Prince Andrew is set to move to King Charles’ 8,000-hectare Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, following the announcement that he will leave the 31-bedroom Royal Lodge in Windsor and be stripped of his remaining titles.
The new accommodation will be privately financed by the King, with Sarah Ferguson now having to find her own home, despite Andrew requesting one for each of them.
The move follows weeks of mounting public criticism around Andrew’s long-standing friendship with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and allegations of sexual abuse by Virginia Giuffre, which she has vehemently denied.
He also faced serious scrutiny from MPs and the public after it was revealed he had not paid rent to the Royal Lodge for more than 20 years.
The palace statement said: “Her Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove Prince Andrew’s Style, Titles and Honors.
“Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. To date, his lease at Royal Lodge has provided him with legal protection to continue his residence.”
“Formal notice has been given to abandon the lease and he will be moving to alternative private accommodation.
Now the former prince will move to a private estate on the sprawling 8,000-hectare Sandringham Estate in the Norfolk countryside.
The private property, owned by the royal family, is often used to host family gatherings, including at Christmas, which Andrew is reportedly banned from.
Sandringham was once the beloved retreat of Queen Elizabeth and is now a favorite of King Charles and Queen Camilla.
King George V once described Sandringham as “the place I love better than anywhere else in the world”.
The estate can be visited by the public and includes an organic farm, sawmill, museum, gardens and hundreds of residences.
It’s unclear which property Andrew will move into, but it’s likely the 30-room mansion he’s lived in for more than 20 years will have to be downsized.
The main property on the estate is Sandringham House, purchased by Queen Victoria for the former Prince of Wales, Edward VII, in 1862.
It is often used as the country residence of the Royal Family. While Queen Elizabeth spent the winter months at Sandringham, King Charles, who was undergoing cancer treatment, also spent time there.
It’s also home to Wood Farm, a five-bedroom farmhouse speculated to be one of Andrew’s possible new homes.
Anmer Hall, the 10-bedroom country house gifted to Prince William and Princess Catherine, is also located in Sandringham.
Andrew reportedly wants Frogmore Cottage, Prince Harry and Meghan’s former five-bedroom home in Windsor.
The move to Sandringham is said to also involve a “suitable” private provision from the King, and other sources of income will be the former duke’s affair.
