It was announced on 17 October that Prince Andrew would relinquish his title as the Duke of York, as well as the honours conferred upon him, after a string of scandals linking him to the late convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, came to light. Most recently, an unearthed email from 2011 was obtained by The Sun and The Mail, which revealed that the youngest son of the late Queen and Prince Philip , 65, allegedly told Epstein: "I'm just as concerned for you! Don't worry about me! It would seem we are in this together and will have to rise above it. Otherwise, keep in close touch and we'll play some more soon!!!!"
Now, the public will wonder where Prince Andrew will reside amid the loss of his titles, something which was confirmed in statement shared by Buckingham Palace on 17 October, in which the Prince said: "In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family.
© Samir Hussein/WireImage"I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first," Andrew continued. "I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life. With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me."
Where will Prince Andrew live?
It is understood that his living arrangement at Royal Lodge, on the Windsor Home Park estate, remains unaffected. Royal Lodge is a 30-room Georgian residence situated a few miles from Windsor Castle, and the Crown Estate owns it, though Andrew is said to have a private tenancy agreement with the Crown Estate in relation to the property.
Andrew has resided at Royal Lodge since 2004 and has long thought it would be his forever home. The younger brother of King Charles signed a 75-year lease, which agreed he would pay £250 a week to reside at the royal home in 2003. Given that the royal leases the home from the Crown Estate (an agreement was established with a £1million one-off payment), should Andrew ever break the lease, the property would revert back to the Crown Estate.
© ShutterstockIn 2024, it was reported that King Charles had cut financial ties with his brother, meaning he removed his annual £1 million allowance and stopped funding Andrew's private security. The Daily Mail reported at the time that Andrew was no longer being supported financially by the King. Despite this, Andrew continued to refuse to leave Royal Lodge.
© Getty ImagesIn an episode of HELLO!'s A Right Royal Podcast in 2024, author Robert Hardman shared his thoughts on why the Prince wasn't giving up his residence at Royal Lodge. "Someone said to me the other day, he's got nothing else," Robert said. "He's got no public life. He has no public role. And he's clearly devoted to this home, and he likes being there. So, if he can make it work, he's going to try." Also continuing to reside at Royal Lodge is Prince Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, who relinquished her title, Duchess of York, at the same time as Andrew.
The property has sentimental ties for both Sarah and Andrew, as it was where their daughter Princess Beatrice hosted a low-key wedding reception in 2020 following her nuptials to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, a luxury property developer who descends from Italian nobility. Following their ceremony, the newlyweds reportedly invited 14 friends to Royal Lodge and partied into the early hours.
