Prince Edward and Sophie are forced to use Sandringham ‘holiday let’ over Easter break because Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is refusing to leave his farmhouse
Prince Edward and Sophie were forced to take ‘holiday leave’ at Sandringham after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor refused to leave their holiday home.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh had planned to use Wood Farm for their annual Easter break but had to stay in a cottage at Sandringham Manor instead.
Andrew is staying at Wood Farm, his temporary home, until he moves permanently to Marsh Farm, which adjoins the estate.
Edward, 62, became the first royal to visit Andrew, 66, since he began exile in Norfolk two months ago.
The disgraced former prince has been in hiding since his eviction from the Royal Lodge in February over his links to US pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The Duke reportedly ‘talked quietly’ to Andrew, who was shuffling around in temporary accommodation.
Edward and Sophie regularly book Wood Farm for Easter getaways, but with Andrew ‘reluctant to leave’ the Norfolk bolt hole, they were forced to stay in the estate’s Garden House on the King’s Sandringham estate over the holiday.
Holiday rent costs up to £4,110 per week in high season.
Prince Edward (pictured, left, with his brother Andrew, right, during a service at St Paul’s Cathedral in 2015) was the first family member to visit Andrew two months later.
The disgraced former prince, 66, was photographed around the King’s Sandringham Estate in Norfolk on Saturday.
Andrew was photographed walking his dogs with his bodyguard at Sandringham Estate on Saturday.
A source told Sun: ‘Andrew was evicted from Royal Lodge in Windsor but now has two houses in hand.
‘It goes back and forth between Wood Farm and Marsh Farm.
‘Edward and Sophie need to be ranked according to their liking for using Wood Farm.’
Gardens House was once the home of the estate’s head gardener.
The eight-bedroom house is 300 meters from the main Sandringham House, which is open to visitors at this time of year.
On Thursday Andrew had two more visitors from the public who tried to climb his fence.
Safety concerns were sparked on Thursday when a red car pulled up outside Andrew’s new permanent home at Marsh Farm.
Two people got out and began climbing the exterior gate before trying to peer over the 6-foot fence newly erected in front of the farmhouse.
Pictures showed a man and a girl standing at the top of the gate trying to get a look inside the property, which is undergoing renovations ahead of Andrew moving in in the coming weeks.
But as Andrew’s security quickly reacted and defused the situation, the pair didn’t stay long before jumping back into their car and driving away.
Andrew appeared to have spent the afternoon at his new home and was seen meeting Sandringham estate manager Edward Parsons.
Builders have been working hard to prepare the property for Andrew, installing luxury carpets, a Sky antenna and a fast broadband connection.
Hundreds of boxes of her belongings have been delivered to her new home in recent weeks and she is now told her move is ‘soon’.
The disgraced former Duke, accused of leaking secrets to Jeffrey Epstein, remained in Norfolk over Easter and did not attend the Royal Family’s traditional ceremony in Windsor this year.
He has kept a low profile in Norfolk since his arrest on his 66th birthday on February 19 on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Andrew looked upset as he strolled through the Sandringham estate while visiting his new home at Marsh Farm on Wednesday.
Over the weekend Andrew was seen supervising horses near his home despite being urged to stop riding.
His aides are understood to have feared it would be a ‘bad look’ for him if he was seen having fun while he was under police investigation for misconduct in public office.
Before moving to Sandringham a few weeks ago, Andrew was regularly seen riding around Windsor.
And early last week he had a second-hand static caravan delivered to his current home, with traces of moss on the bricks in his garden.
The caravan, which includes the £26,000 Willerby Meridian Lodge, was paid for using money his brother King Charles gave him for ‘living expenses’ and will house his security team as there is not enough space at his main home in Norfolk.
