Andrew evicted from Royal Lodge under cover of darkness days after Epstein files release

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been evicted from Royal Lodge during a stealth-like operation in the middle of the night.

The disgraced royal, who was stripped of his titles in October and given his marching orders from the palatial Windsor home, has now taken up residence on the King's private Sandringham estate.

His move comes days after the release of millions of documents known as the Jeffrey Epstein files, including one which showed a photo of Andrew on all fours leaning over an unnamed woman.

Andrew, 65, was driven from Royal Lodge in Windsor to Sandringham on Monday night in darkness to avoid being seen, The Sun reports.

He is now living inside Wood Farm, a temporary residence on the Norfolk estate while renovations continue at Marsh Farm where he will later move into. Wood Farm is where Andrew's father, the late Prince Philip, spent his retirement years.

He was originally expected to move out before Easter in April.

A source told the newspaper Andrew had wanted to stay at Royal Lodge for longer "but with the latest batch of Epstein files it was made clear to him that it was time to go".

"Leaving was so humiliating for him that he chose to do it under the cover of darkness," the source said.

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"Theoretically he could have stayed until Marsh Farm was ready but the headlines were only getting worse.

"Also, the fact he's been seen driving around Windsor laughing and looking like he hasn't a care in the world hasn't gone down well with the Royal Household."

Earlier on Monday, Andrew was photographed smiling and waving to the public as he rode his horse on the Windsor estate.

Andrew's eviction from Royal Lodge will no doubt be seen as a small victory for the royal family and the King, who had been trying to have his younger brother removed for several years.

Andrew was widely seen to be resisting pressure to vacate the 31-bedroom Grade II-listed property.

The former Duke of York was rumoured to have been previously offered Frogmore Cottage, where Prince Harry and Meghan lived before their royal exit.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had renovated the home soon after their wedding in 2018.

However, when Andrew's ex-wife Sarah Ferguson was diagnosed with cancer in 2023, and again in 2024, the Yorks were given permission to remain at Royal Lodge for longer.

It remains unclear where Ferguson will move to. She had been living with her ex-husband at the Windsor property since 2008.

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