Prince Andrew He left the Royal Lodge after facing public pressure to move out of the 30-room Crown Estate mansion in Windsor Home Park.
The BBC reported on Tuesday, February 3, that Andrew, 65, left the Royal Lodge on Monday, February 2. The former royal is living in temporary accommodation at Sandringham Estate while his permanent home is being renovated, according to the outlet.
Andrew moved out of Royal Lodge after living there for 22 years without paying much rent, according to a copy of his tenancy agreement The Times in October. The “peppercorn” rent arrangement began when he signed a 75-year lease for the property in 2003, agreeing to pay £1 million in rent and any maintenance fees. (Andrew reportedly paid £7.5 million to renovate the property in 2005.)
According to the sale, the agreement meant that Andrew would not have to pay the usual rent.
Because his lease started in 2078, it was impossible for the Crown Estate to be able to forcibly evict him from the Royal Lodge if Andrew had not agreed to leave. BBC News it was reported in early October that Andrew has a private property “ironclad” in the area.
With Andrew out, the Crown Estate will have to pay the prince £558,000, plus a “gross refund” of £185,865 each year until 2028, according to The Times.
A royal scholar Christopher Andersen you are only told Us Weekly earlier this month Andrew’s stay at the Royal Lodge would have given him more control over his future amid controversy surrounding his union Jeffrey Epstein.
“Little by little, since the Queen’s death, it has dawned on Andrew that he might be removed from the throne altogether,” Andersen said. “His title, his privilege, his position were all important to him.”
Andrew’s decision to leave the Royal Lodge comes after he announced that he would relinquish his royal title due to his links to the Epstein scandal.
“In discussion with the King, and my immediate and extended family, we are dealing with ongoing allegations about me that are interfering with the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family,” Andrew said in a statement. Us Weekly on Friday, October 17. “I have decided, as I always do, to put my work in my family and my country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to give up public life.”
He went on to say, “With His Majesty’s agreement, we see that I must now move forward, so I will no longer use my title or the awards that have been given to me. As I have said before, I strongly deny the charges against me.”
Although Andrew denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein, he reached a private settlement with him Virginia Giuffre in 2022 after she accused him of sexual harassment. Giuffre previously said he met Andrew when he was young. Andrew dismissed the allegations. (Epstein and Giuffre both died by suicide, in 2019 and 2025, respectively.)
