Days after the man formerly known as Prince Andrew was stripped of his titles, he’s losing another connection to the royal family. On Thursday, Buckingham Palace released a statement to announce that Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, have been evicted from their royal residence, and in the process, Andrew won’t even be known as a prince anymore.
Andrew must leave the Royal Lodge.
When news first broke that Andrew was losing his titles earlier this month, it seemed that he and ex-wife Fergie would be able to continue living at their residence at the Royal Lodge, since their lease didn’t seem to be tied to his position inside the monarchy. But apparently, that doesn’t matter anymore, according to a statement issued by Buckingham Palace on October 30.
“His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence,” said the statement, via People. “Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation. These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.”
The statement continued, “Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.”
He will now be moving to Sandringham.
According to People, Andrew will be relocating to Sandringham, the royals’ country house in Norfolk. This wasn’t easy to do, since his lease was reportedly “cast-iron” strong, but King Charles was able to find a way to evict Andrew after some negotiating.
The Sun has reported that in exchange for leaving the Royal Lodge, Andrew wanted to move into Frogmore Cottage and to secure Adelaide Cottage for Fergie, though the palace has yet to confirm this piece of intel.
He has also been stripped of his “prince” title.
In the same statement, Buckingham Palace revealed that along with losing his Duke of York title, Andrew will also no longer be styled as a prince.
“His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew. Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor,” the statement said.
New developments have made it possible for King Charles to finally take action.
People reported on Thursday that it wasn’t until more “recent developments” had occurred that they were able to take more definitive action against Andrew amid the Jeffrey Epstein scandal that he’s been wrapped up in for years at this point.
“While a longer-term resolution to the complex legal and constitutional issues surrounding Andrew’s status took time to finalize, sources say the necessity of further action was never in doubt,” the outlet reported. “The King’s decision follows behind-the-scenes discussions, legal consultation and support from the wider royal family to bring about a resolution without imposing on Parliamentary time.”
