Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has moved out of Royal Lodge and is now living on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, marking a fresh and highly visible step in the long-running fallout over his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
The BBC says the former prince left Windsor on Monday night and is staying at Wood Farm while his permanent accommodation is renovated. Buckingham Palace had already announced in October that he would move from Royal Lodge, but the latest disclosure of Epstein-related files appears to have brought the timetable forward.
The move matters because Royal Lodge had become a symbol of how the Royal Family was handling a continuing controversy that has embarrassed the institution for years. Mountbatten-Windsor has been under pressure over his links to Epstein and over whether he should give evidence in the US. He has consistently denied wrongdoing.
The new arrangement keeps him on private royal property but away from Windsor, where he had been living for years. According to the BBC, the King will cover the costs of the Norfolk home, and Mountbatten-Windsor is expected to collect the remainder of his belongings from Windsor over the coming weeks. The report says he is likely to end up at Marsh Farm on the same estate once renovations are completed.
The move also follows a period of scrutiny over how Royal Lodge had been occupied. A National Audit Office report, cited by the BBC, says Mountbatten-Windsor’s 2003 lease involved a large upfront payment that effectively replaced future rent obligations for the 75-year term. That arrangement drew attention because it raised questions about value for money and the wider use of royal assets.
The latest BBC report also links the relocation to the continuing public discussion around Epstein, including new material released by the US Department of Justice. The report says Thames Valley Police is assessing allegations that a woman was sent to the UK by Epstein for a sexual encounter with Mountbatten-Windsor at Royal Lodge in 2010. Mountbatten-Windsor has not responded to the BBC on that allegation and has previously denied wrongdoing.
For the Royal Family, the significance of the move is partly practical and partly symbolic. It removes a figure whose presence at Windsor has been a recurring source of controversy, while still leaving open questions about what comes next in both the legal and reputational fallout from the Epstein connection.
The latest transfer does not end the dispute. But it does show the Palace acting more decisively than before, and it underlines how the Epstein story continues to shape the handling of one of the monarchy’s most difficult family problems.
