The pictures of grinning and waving Andrew that got him kicked out of Royal Lodge just hours later

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was seen smiling and waving at people in ‘bizarre’ photos taken just hours before he was kicked out of Royal Lodge.

The embarrassed former Duke was told to leave his 30-bedroom mansion earlier than expected on Tuesday after he was featured in the latest installment of the Epstein files.

It became clear Andrew needed ‘courage’ to hasten his departure after a photo of him appearing on all fours over a woman lying on the ground was published.

But as royal courtiers planned his exit from the Royal Lodge, Andrew was seen cheerfully greeting the public as he rode his horse near his home.

In another series of photos, the grinning former Duke is pictured driving his Range Rover around his Windsor estate as if he were a superstar greeting a crowd of fans.

Less than 12 hours after footage was filmed of Andrew in his car, he was escorted out of the Royal Lodge under cover of darkness.

Royal insiders have since suggested the photos could have been the ‘final straw’ after a tumultuous few months for the embarrassed former royal.

They claimed it was not ‘appropriate behavior’ to be seen in public with a smile on her face, amid mounting revelations that she had been in contact with Jeffrey Epstein for many years and accusations about her own sex life.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is seen smiling and waving at passers-by as he drives along The Long Walk in Windsor on Monday. He was expelled from the Royal Lodge a few hours later

In one of the latest photos released in the disclosure of files linked to Jeffrey Epstein, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is seen crouching over an unidentified woman.

A royal insider told the Daily Mail yesterday: ‘He didn’t even get it until the end.’

Another observer described footage of him driving as ‘bizarre’, while a second royal source said ‘you just want to bang your head on the desk’. Terrible optics.’

A row of removal trucks were photographed at the Royal Lodge on Tuesday, three months after he was given back his lease and stripped of his remaining titles.

Andrew was driven 132 miles to Sandringham and reportedly transported ‘under the cover of darkness’.

Once renovations are completed, it will temporarily reside at Wood Farm Cottage before moving permanently adjacent to Marsh Farm at the beginning of April.

While work on the property has been suspended in recent days, the security fence that will protect the house from the road has not yet been completed.

One woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ‘If he is going to come and live here, I think it should be in a pretty secluded area.

‘There are houses where the king can go and not disturb anyone. The press is all there. The villagers don’t like this. ‘It’s a quiet village.’

Andrew waves to public seen riding horses in Windsor on Saturday morning

A transport van is seen leaving the Royal Lodge. The former Duke of York was told to leave his stately home earlier than expected on Tuesday

In these photos taken on January 17, Andrew can be seen smiling behind the wheel of his car.

Many people in the village were reluctant to talk, with some saying they could not comment because they worked for the royal estate.

At the Sandringham Visitor Centre, about three kilometers away, members of the public did not speak favorably of Andrew’s move.

Abraham Bruin, 83, of West Walton, who used to work in plant nurseries, was visiting the Sandringham estate on Wednesday.

He said: ‘I’m a bit surprised too. If he’s an outcast and he lives on the estate, he’s not an outcast, right?’

One woman, who did not give her name, said: ‘It really goes back to luxury, doesn’t it? It is expected hand and foot.’

The former prince is under increasing pressure to cooperate with US authorities investigating Epstein’s crimes. Sources say it is a “matter of personal conscience” and his public duty.

While Buckingham Palace has refused to comment on the latest revelations from the US Department of Justice file dump, royal sources told the Daily Mail on Monday night that “testifying is now a matter for Andrew and his conscience”.

Insiders also said it was always a principle that those with relevant information should ‘participate in any legal investigation on any matter’.

The development will fuel calls for the former prince to break his self-imposed silence and publicly cooperate with authorities investigating Epstein’s crimes and the network of contacts who aided and abetted him.

It appears that King Charles was not aware of the details in the latest files revealing the depth of the relationship between his brother and the pedophile.

The former prince is under increasing pressure to cooperate with US authorities investigating Epstein’s crimes

Jeffrey Epstein photographed in 2004. He died by suicide in prison in 2019.

The allegations were first made in 2014 by Virginia Giuffre, who claimed that she was sold to Prince Andrew by Epstein when she was 17 years old.

Buckingham Palace appears to be learning the new material at the same time as the public.

But given Andrew is a working member of the Royal Family and held the prestigious role of UK trade ambassador during his relationship with Epstein, the headlines that follow will be disturbing.

The King and Queen pointedly said last October, when it was announced that Andrew would be stripped of his titles, that their ‘thoughts and deepest sympathies remain with the victims and survivors of all forms of abuse’.

Although Andrew has now moved into his new home, his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson is not thought to be so lucky.

It was claimed that he has not yet found a permanent property because his ex-girlfriend has not moved in with him and the couple’s children have not been able to offer them housing.

The former Duchess of York is in the midst of a ‘housing crisis’ and is clinging to hope of finding a new place in Windsor.

But the 66-year-old will have to ‘lower his expectations’ about the standard of his next home after decades at the Royal Lodge.

Fergie is said to be in a ‘fragile’ state due to her fall from grace and has told friends her latest travails are ‘not good for my mental health’.