In the soft grey of an early February morning in Windsor, the great oaks that frame the Royal Lodge stand in stillness, their branches etched against a pale sky. For decades, the mansion’s broad windows and ornate gates have witnessed countless comings and goings — grand receptions, family gatherings, the quiet procession of daily life within its centuries‑old grounds. But the hush now seems different, as though the air itself has paused to mark the departure of someone whose presence was once a fixture of this storied estate.
Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor, once known to the world as Prince Andrew, has vacated the Royal Lodge he called home for more than twenty years. In the cool quiet of Monday night, he crossed the lawns and lanes that have threaded his life with the rhythms of monarchy and the cadence of tradition. The lease on the 30‑room mansion in Windsor Great Park was formally surrendered, the result of a decision by his brother, King Charles III, to remove his royal style, titles and honours — a step taken amid renewed scrutiny of past associations that have shadowed his later years. ([turn0search22]
In the gentle hush that follows such movements, there is a blend of ordinary motion and deep remembrance. Andrew now resides temporarily at a quieter property on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, a place where the grass rolls wide and the horizon broadens under open skies, far from the clipped hedges of Windsor. In the coming months, he is expected to settle into another nearby residence, its walls now being prepared for his arrival. In this measured, gradual transition, one is reminded that even lives once framed by long‑standing privilege can enter a new season, slow and tentative as the thaw of winter sunlight upon silent earth. ([turn0search21]
The change in residence comes as Thames Valley Police assess a fresh allegation connected to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Authorities say they are reviewing a claim that in 2010 a woman was sent by Epstein to the Royal Lodge for sexual purposes — an allegation that, if it were to inform further inquiry, would mark the first public claim that such an encounter occurred at a royal residence. At this stage the information is under assessment and has not been formally reported by the alleged victim to police, and Andrew has not commented on the latest claim. ([turn0search24]
It is a quiet reminder that even the most regal reaches of British heritage are not insulated from the rhythms of wider history. The allegations tied to Epstein, a convicted sex offender whose life and crimes have cast long shadows, have dogged Andrew for years, culminating in a civil settlement in 2022 with one accuser and, in April 2025, the tragic suicide of another. His denials of wrongdoing have been consistent, yet the weight of public attention and newly released files has prompted fresh examination and, in turn, the relinquishing of long‑held titles and roles. These events, unfolding as they do beneath the calm sweep of palace lawns and Norfolk fields, tell of a time when personal narrative and public account meet in unwelcome relief. ([turn0search25]
Still, life’s quotidian rhythm persists. On the Sandringham Estate, winter grass bends under soft breezes and farm birds wheel in arcs above quiet fields. The larger story — of work, of titles, of legacy — continues in press rooms and courtrooms, in statements and assessments, with police using established procedures to consider what may yet come. Whatever emerges in the months ahead, the immediate chapter concludes with a relocation, a handing back of keys, and an echo of footsteps retreating through an old corridor into fresh landscape.
In clear, calm terms: Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor — formerly known as Prince Andrew — has officially vacated Royal Lodge in Windsor, more than two decades after first residing there. The move follows a formal process initiated by King Charles III to remove his royal titles and honours, and Andrew is temporarily living on the Sandringham Estate with plans to relocate to a renovated property nearby. Thames Valley Police are assessing new allegations linked to Jeffrey Epstein concerning an incident said to have taken place at Royal Lodge in 2010; these claims are under review and have not resulted in a criminal investigation at this time.
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