Latest cash-in from Andrew and Fergie leaves aides shaking their heads | Royal | News

In what sounded like the plot of an over-the-top adventure novel, everyone’s ears perked up when it was rumored that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson could make extra money by selling royal valuables. As their departure from Royal Lodge looms, Andrew is set to move from a 30-room mansion to a five-bedroom farmhouse, meaning he’ll have the right royal spoils to find room for, at least.

Among the items proposed to be auctioned are private letters and jewelry. The Palace is believed to have legal experts ready to monitor the situation. So who can blame them?

But considering the former Duke and Duchess’ history of being rewarded with lavish gifts and Sarah’s notorious money problems, having access to Aladdin’s cave of treasure must be exciting. A source said: “Even the appearance of a single item could trigger an immediate and widespread reaction. But Andrew and Sarah appear determined to turn the Lodge into a pawnshop resource of sorts, pooling together goods they think they can auction off to the highest bidder.”

While unmarked removal trucks have been seen coming in and out of the Royal Lodge’s gates this week, we can’t wait to see if the former couple will be so brave.

A further blow to Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s ego came when it was revealed he would have to spend some time stuck in royal purgatory at an even smaller property on Sandringham Estate before he would even be allowed to move into his five-bedroom “shoebox” home.

Given that the King’s home in Norfolk is privately owned, we’re unlikely to know which residence the beleaguered royal will rest in, but it will make him all the more grateful when he can finally put his own stamp on Marsh Farm. Right?!

Although Andrew initially had until October to move, the deadline is getting closer… first by Easter, and then before his birthday next month. Given the rush and the fact that a little more damage could be done, we can’t help but wonder what the Royal Lodge’s plans are.

In happier news, Prince William and Catherine will return to where it all began on Tuesday, visiting Stirling and Falkirk to shed light on Scottish heritage traditions. The couple, who met on the cobbled streets of St Andrew’s University as students, will be heading north again, where one of the highlights will be a head-to-head curling game on the ice at the National Curling Academy.

Despite shouting from the rooftops about the dangers of social media for young people, Harry and Meghan have surprisingly backed away from their organisation, the Parents Network, which was set up to offer support to parents who have lost their children to online harm. Given that the couple’s run-of-the-mill attacks on the press from Montecito appear to have been replaced by blasting tech companies, criticizing social media and praising bold tactics to tighten controls on young people, perhaps there could be a change on the horizon… again.

Perhaps with collective relief, you’ll be pleased to hear that this new book isn’t a bombshell ready to shake the Royal Family once again… but it won’t please them! Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s spokesman Omid Scobie has picked up the pen for the third time and has co-written Royal Spin, a romantic fiction about a press officer at Buckingham Palace… eek!

And there’s more good news for those embracing every morsel of royal drama, because the book has already been scooped for a six-figure TV deal with Universal Television and will be released next month. That’s not all on the book front, as the Mirror’s Royal Editor Russell Myers announced the release of an “intimate” new book about the Prince and Princess of Wales. It promises to highlight William and Catherine’s resilience and their plans for a modern monarchy when it hits bookshelves on February 26. Watch this space!