King Charles avoids Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor despite living just seven kilometres apart

King Charles has moved to Sandringham for a short break, but he has no plans to see his embattled brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

The monarch is staying at Wood Farm, on the grounds of the private Norfolk estate, with Andrew living a short distance away at Marsh Farm.

Charles III was seen arriving at the estate on Sunday, just hours after British police announced the expansion of an investigation into Andrew's past conduct as a trade envoy.

Watch the video above.

The two properties are a 15-minute drive apart, with approximately seven kilometres between them.

Thames Valley police has widened their criminal investigation into Andrew to include potential alleged sexual misconduct offences.

Officers have appealed for witnesses and victims to come forward, deploying specialist investigators to the case.

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Separately, Andrew is potentially facing new allegations that he behaved inappropriately toward a woman at the Royal Ascot races more than 20 years ago.

The former prince was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office relating to his time as a government trade envoy between 2001 and 2011.

Andrew is accused of allegedly passing classified information to the paedophile American financier Jeffrey Epstein, who died in 2019. He was questioned for close to 12 hours and released under investigation.

Andrew categorically denies any wrongdoing.

On Friday police emphasised that misconduct in public office was a "crime that can take different forms".

According to The Times, detectives are understood to be struggling to build a strong enough case to bring to prosecution because there is a "high bar" for the offence.

The offence requires police to prove that Andrew "deliberately" did something which he knew was wrong or acted with "reckless indifference", the publication reports.

Police searches of Andrew's former home Royal Lodge, in Windsor, and his address at Sandringham have uncovered evidence, while some witnesses have already been interviewed.

A woman who claims she was sent by Epstein for a sexual encounter with Andrew at Royal Lodge has not yet spoken to police, The Telegraph UK reports.

Andrew was formally stripped of his prince title, and other royal honours, by King Charles in October.

He was later evicted from his Windsor estate home for the smaller Marsh Farm on the King's private Sandringham estate.