Related Articles
A member of the public hurled abuse at Andrew Mountbatten Windsor while he rode his horse near Windsor Castle, as preparations step up for his official ousting from Royal Lodge.
While Andrew appeared in a jolly mood today as he joked with two dog walkers on the drive down the long walk at Windsor in his Land Rover for a quick riding trip.
Other onlookers were quick to spot the disgraced former prince trotting through leafy Berkshire, with one man heckling him.
Andrew has been pictured out and about in his car – no longer with ‘DOY’ number plates – and on a horse ride, as his move into a more modest new home at Marsh Farm on the King’s Sandringham Estate in Norfolk is well underway.
This week, removals vans, security fence fitters and even Sky engineers were seen kitting out the new home in Norfolk ready for its new occupant in Easter.
The former Duke of York, who has been removed from his former mansion, Royal Lodge in Windsor, is expected to move into a temporary property on the King’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk at some point over the coming fortnight.
Marsh Farm is getting a revamp with workers installing Sky TV and a new security fence while Andrew leaves Royal Lodge before his 66th birthday next month.
Sky engineers were spotted up ladders this week outside the property in Wolferton, just two miles away from Charles’s Sandringham home. A six-foot wooden privacy fence has also sprung up, replacing the wire mesh previously on the perimeter.
Pictured: The former prince looking rather disgruntled while he was horse riding near Windsor Castle
Andrew was spotted laughing with two female dog walkers as he left Windsor to visit his horses
The former prince was pictured cracking up this morning as he sat behind the wheel en route to the stables
The disgraced royal has been spotted out and about as his ousting from Royal Lodge is underway
This afternoon he was out and about with his groom near Windsor Castle in Berkshire
Insiders have said Marsh Farm needed a lot of work to ‘make it habitable’. Workers have also been spotted using a JCB digger and installing security lights on the walls.
A local security firm’s van was parked on the driveway, and team of at least six people have been toiling through the cold and the rain this week.
Before moving into Marsh Farm, Andrew is expected to move into a temporary, smaller property on his brother, King Charles’, Norfolk estate as early as the end of this month.
He is set to stay there until Easter, when the work and renovations on Marsh Farm is scheduled to be finished.
It is understood that the farmhouse and the surrounding outhouses previously belonged to a former tenant who died some time ago.
Drones were banned from flying over the property last autumn.
The Sandringham no-fly zone was extended at the end of last year to include the property.
The farm lies in the secluded village of Wolferton, which has a church and a social club, but no pubs or village shops.
The shamed royal has been keeping busy ahead of his move out of his mansion, Royal Lodge
Andrew headed out for a morning ride on Saturday, despite the bad weather
A Sky engineer up a ladder against the wall of Marsh Farm. The technicians were wearing uniforms with Sky VIP written on them
A solid, six-foot high wooden fence has sprung up around parts of the perimeter with the help of a JCB
It is also near the King’s Wood Farm estate, where Prince Philip lived after his retirement.
A Palace insider told The Sun: ‘The snow or rain hasn’t delayed the work on Marsh Farm but it still needs a lot of attention to make it habitable.’
‘But one thing for sure is that it is a lot, lot smaller and less luxurious than Royal Lodge.’
Andrew reportedly wanted to live at Wood Farm, a five-bedroom cottage, but there were concerns that would leave him ‘too close’ to the rest of the family.
The Daily Mail previously revealed how Andrew’s Royal Lodge mansion was not once inspected by officials in the 22 years he lived there rent-free.
When the lease for the 30-room home was signed in 2003, it included unique terms which included no rent but a costly upfront refurbishment and upkeep schedule.
The disgraced royal paid £8million to repair the then-dilapidated property, and promised to allow inspectors in at ‘all reasonable times’ to make sure he looked after it.
In return, his estate landlord, the independent company which manages Crown properties for the benefit of the taxpayer, allowed him to pay no rent for the duration of the 75-year lease.
A team of at least six has been toiling through the cold and the rain this week at the farm ahead of its new occupant in Easter
Workers spotted in frosty conditions making preparations to the property, which reportedly requires a lot of work to make inhabitable
But not one Crown Estate official carried out an inspection of Royal Lodge in the whole time Andrew lived there – raising concerns of a ‘sweetheart deal’ at taxpayers’ expense.
Andrew has still been living there with his former wife, Sarah Ferguson, while work is completed ahead of their move.
Fergie has lived with her disgraced ex-husband in the Grade II-listed mansion since 2008, despite divorcing in 1996.
The former duchess, once told the Daily Mail: ‘We’re the happiest divorced couple in the world. We’re divorced to each other, not from each other.’
She is reportedly continuing to look for a new property, and it is understood that she is considering a ‘granny annexe’ in the Cotswolds next to Princess Beatrice or moving to Portugal with Princess Eugenie.
Andrew has been forced out of Royal Lodge and public life in the face of a snowballing scandal over his relationship with the late paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s victims, claimed she had been forced to have sex with Andrew on three occasions when she was 17.
Andrew has always denied the allegations but paid millions in a settlement to Ms Giuffre, who passed away in April last year.
Emails surfaced last year that revealed Andrew maintained his relationship with Epstein for longer than he had admitted, and also suggested that the then-prince did meet Ms Giuffre – despite his assertions to the contrary.
Under pressure from his brother, King Charles, Andrew relinquished his titles, before his status as prince was finally stripped in November.
Source link
