The King has been pictured for the first time since his decision announcing that his brother, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, is to be stripped of all his titles, styles and honours. Charles, 76, was seen at the wheel of his Range Rover around his Sandringham estate in Norfolk on Friday morning.
The monarch, who was accompanied by a royal protection officer in the passenger seat, appeared pensive amid the ongoing saga, which has also seen Andrew evicted from his Windsor mansion, Royal Lodge. The former Duke of York will now move to a private home on the private Sandringham estate, with the relocation taking place as soon as practicable. Any future accommodation will be privately funded by the King.
The statement released on Thursday night read: "His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew. Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence.
"Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation. These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him. Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse."
© Bav Media
© Bav MediaString of scandals
Andrew's friendship with convicted paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and the allegations published in Virginia Giuffre's posthumous memoir led to his downfall. He vehemently denies all allegations. Calls for him to vacate his 30-room Windsor mansion also mounted in the past week, amid the revelation that he paid £1 million for the lease, first signed in 2003, and that since then he has paid "one peppercorn" of rent "if demanded" per year.
© Getty ImagesPeppercorn rent is a legal term describing the symbolic payment of rent by Andrew to the Crown Estate. It is a nominal or token amount that satisfies the legal requirements of the contract stating that the Prince would pay rent on the property, but it is so low an amount that its function is more symbolic than anything else.
When will Andrew move to Sandringham?
Andrew will not move from his Windsor mansion to Sandringham until after Christmas, because of the lengthy process of giving up his home. Meanwhile, his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, will also move out of Royal Lodge and will sort her own living arrangements.
Sandringham was bought in 1862 by the then Prince of Wales, who later became Edward VII, as a private country retreat, and the house was rebuilt in 1870 to ensure it was big enough for his growing family. Its vast surrounding estate includes 16,000 acres of farmland, 3,500 acres of woodland and 150 properties.
© Getty ImagesThe secluded five-bedroom Wood Farm, where Andrew's father, Prince Philip, spent much of his retirement, could be one possibility. Another could be York Cottage, which was previously home to Prince George, the second son of the Prince and Princess of Wales, and Princess May of Teck, who later became King George V and Queen Mary.
© ShutterstockAnother possibility for Andrew is Park House, where Diana, Princess of Wales was born on 1 July 1961. The late Princess continued to live there until the death of her grandfather, the seventh Earl Spencer, in 1975 when the family moved to the Spencer family seat at Althorp House in Northamptonshire. While it was leased to the charity, Leonard Cheshire, by the late Queen Elizabeth in 1987, the organisation closed during the pandemic and the house, which is believed to be ready to move into, has been empty ever since.
