Following weeks of intense speculation, Prince Andrew has officially vacated Royal Lodge amidst a renewed spotlight on his ties to the late convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. In an unprecedented move, Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday, October 30, that King Charles III was stripping Andrew of all his titles and privileges.
"His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles, and Honours of Prince Andrew, who will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor," the statement began. "His lease on Royal Lodge, which until now provided him with legal protection to continue residing there, has been served with formal notice to surrender. He will move to alternative private accommodation." The statement continued, "These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him."
The royals also made it clear in their statement that their thoughts and utmost sympathies remain with the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.
It is understood that Prince Andrew will relocate to a property on the private Sandringham estate, though no details have been disclosed. The future accommodation will be privately funded by King Charles.
The so-called "cast-iron" lease had been a sticking point, as a legally binding agreement, the King is obliged to respect the law. Negotiations between all parties were required for Prince Andrew to formally surrender the lease. The recent publication of a redacted version of his lease by The Times in the UK, showing that he was entitled to live at Royal Lodge on a peppercorn rent after paying around $10.6 million for the lease and refurbishments, had added to the tension surrounding his living arrangements.
According to The Sun newspaper, in exchange for leaving the 30-room Royal Lodge, Andrew wanted two homes: Frogmore Cottage, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's former home, for himself, and Adelaide Cottage, which Prince William and Kate Middleton are about to vacate, for his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, who has continued to reside at Royal Lodge since their divorce in 1996. However, it was reported that Frogmore Cottage was too small for both of them, and Adelaide Cottage was close enough for them to see each other whenever they wanted.
There had also been talk of Prince Andrew leaving for one of the vast royal estates in Scotland or Norfolk. However, Andrew has reportedly said he wants to be as close as possible to his two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, who have homes in London and nearby in the southeast of England.
Prince Andrew announced on Friday, October 17, that he would give up use of his royal title as the Duke of York as well as other titles and honors amid renewed interest in his relationship with Epstein. He stepped back from his public royal role in 2019 following his headline-making BBC interview in which he discussed his relationship with Epstein. Queen Elizabeth stripped her son of his military titles and patronages in January 2022, after a judge rejected his attempt to have Virginia Giuffre's sexual assault lawsuit against him dismissed. Prince Andrew has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and settled with Giuffre out of court for an undisclosed sum.
Despite continuing to join the royals at family gatherings since then, The Sunday Times recently reported that Andrew and his ex-wife would not be welcomed by King Charles for their annual Christmas outing at Sandringham this year. Similar to 2024, when Andrew's Chinese spy scandal was in the headlines and Sarah was "enlisted" to keep him from the family festivities, the monarch reportedly asked the pair to keep a low profile at the holidays and celebrate on their own. A source close to the monarch told the outlet, "You can't sack someone from being your brother. But this year, if the duke and duchess were both to be as honorable [as last year], it would be very much for the best and the family would not be disappointed, not least to avoid the King having to make any more difficult decisions."
