Andrew Mountbatten Windsor will not leave Royal Lodge immediately

According to information obtained by the BBC, Andrew Mountbatten will not have to leave the Royal Lodge in Windsor immediately and may move to Sandringham towards the end of the new year.

On Thursday, King Charles stripped his younger brother of his titles and honors and moved to force him out of his Windsor estate. He will move to a property on the King’s Norfolk estate, paid for by the monarch.

The dramatic revelation comes after months of pressure on Andrew’s private life; as Andrew’s ties to disgraced pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein continued to haunt the royal family. Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing.

Meanwhile, the government has said it has no plans to introduce legislation that would formally remove Andrew from the succession.

Andrew is eighth in line to the throne, the only significant position he still holds; However, there are also calls for legislation to be passed that would eliminate his chances of becoming King.

An act of Parliament would have to be passed to formally remove him from office; This would be a complex task and would need to be agreed upon with all Commonwealth countries, including Australia and Canada.

Buckingham Palace said Andrew’s move from the Royal Lodge in Windsor to Sandringham would take place “as quickly and practicably as possible”.

But royal sources say a delay in Andrew’s move in until the new year will avoid the embarrassment of him being at Sandringham at Christmas, where the Royal Family traditionally gathers for the festive season.

Andrew will move to an undisclosed property on the privately owned estate and the accommodation will be financed by the King, who will also make private financial arrangements for his brother.

Sandringham was purchased as a private country house in 1862 by the Prince of Wales, who later became Edward VII.

The historic, sprawling estate encompasses approximately 31 square miles (80 square kilometers) of gardens; This makes it the same size as Nottingham or Brighton and Hove.

New court documents were released in the US on Friday showing Andrew saying in 2010 that it would be “nice to meet personally” with Epstein; after the convicted sex offender was released from prison for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

In an email dated April 15, 2010, Epstein suggested the then-prince should meet with American banker Jes Staley, but Andrew said he could not do so due to his schedule.

“I don’t plan on coming to New York right away, but I think I should go soon,” he told Epstein.

“I’ll see if I can do it a few days before summer.

“It would be nice to meet in person.”

The two were later photographed together in New York’s Central Park in December 2010, at a meeting that Andrew claimed in a 2019 Newsnight interview was to break up their friendship.

It is understood the move to strip Andrew of his titles was made by the King in light of serious errors of judgment made by his brother and that his decision was supported by the wider Royal Family.

The public also seems to support the decision; According to a YouGov poll published on Thursday, 79% of people supported stripping the title, while 53% thought the King had now done his best.

58% thought the response should have come sooner due to concerns that the royal family was too slow to act on links to Jeffrey Epstein.

Downing Street said Sir Keir Starmer also “fully supports” the Palace’s decision and echoed Buckingham Palace’s statement of support for Epstein’s victims.

The controversy surrounding Andrew had been going on for years, but came to a head when he was accused by Virginia Giuffre of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager.

Andrew vehemently denied the allegations.

In 2022, he paid millions to settle a civil case with her, even though she insisted she had no recollection of meeting him.

Virginia Giuffre’s family said: “he had overthrown a prince” After the king’s decision.

His brother Sky Roberts called for Andrew to be “investigated” and said the King’s decision to strip him of his titles was “not enough in the sense that he still walks around a free man”.

“I mean, let’s not be naive, he’s not going to be living by the roadside here, he’s still in a very comfortable spot… He should be investigated, let’s put it that way,” he told Sky News.

British Trade Secretary Chris Bryant told the BBC that Andrew should travel to the US to answer questions about Epstein’s crimes if asked.

“I think, just like any ordinary member of society, if there were such requests from another jurisdiction, I would expect any sane person to comply with that request,” he said.

Gloria Allred, who represents Jeffrey Epstein victims, said Andrew’s loss of his title and large home was “long overdue” and “absolutely welcome.”

The American lawyer said, “This is a man who should no longer walk with dignity. He should be ashamed of himself.”

Ms. Allred had long demanded that Andrew speak to U.S. law enforcement “under oath” about his former friend, Epstein; He said Andrew has so far “refused” to do so.

The Metropolitan Police has previously said it was “actively” investigating media reports that Andrew had tried to obtain personal information about his accuser, Ms Giuffre, through police protection.