Andrew Mountbatten Windsor won’t go away Royal Lodge instantly

Andrew Mountbatten Windsor won’t have to depart Royal Lodge instantly and will transfer to Sandringham as late as the brand new yr, the BBC understands.

On Thursday, King Charles stripped his youthful brother of his titles and honours, and moved to drive him out of his Windsor mansion. He will probably be shifting to a property on the King’s Norfolk property, paid for by the monarch.

The dramatic assertion got here after months of stress over Andrew’s non-public life, as his ties to disgraced paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein continued to canine the royals. Andrew has all the time denied any wrongdoing.

Meanwhile, the federal government has stated it had no plans to cross a regulation to formally take away Andrew from the road of succession.

Andrew stays eighth in line to the throne, the one vital place he nonetheless holds – however there have been calls to herald laws to cease any likelihood of him turning into King.

It would take an act of Parliament to formally take away him which might be complicated and would must be agreed with all of the Commonwealth realms, together with Australia and Canada.

Buckingham Palace has stated Andrew’s transfer from Royal Lodge in Windsor to Sandringham will happen “as soon as possible and practicable”.

But based on royal sources, a delay in Andrew shifting till the brand new yr would keep away from the embarrassment of him being in Sandringham at Christmas – the place the Royal Family historically gathers for the festive season.

Andrew will transfer to an undisclosed property on the privately-owned property, with the lodging funded by the King who can even make non-public monetary provisions for his brother.

Sandringham was purchased in 1862 by the then Prince of Wales, who later turned Edward VII, as a non-public nation retreat.

The historic, sprawling property spans roughly 31 sq miles (80 sq km) of gardens – making it across the identical measurement as Nottingham or Brighton and Hove.

On Friday, contemporary courtroom paperwork had been revealed within the US exhibiting Andrew stated in 2010 it could be “good to catch up in person” with Epstein, after the convicted intercourse offender was launched from jail for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

In an e mail on dated 15 April 2010, Epstein recommended the then-prince ought to meet American banker Jes Staley, which Andrew stated he was not capable of do on account of his schedule.

“I have no immediate plans to drop by New York but I think I should at some stage soon,” he advised Epstein.

“I’ll look and see if I can make a couple of days before the summer.

“It can be good to catch up in individual.”

The pair were later pictured together in Central Park in New York in December 2010 in a meeting that Andrew claimed in his 2019 Newsnight interview was to break off their friendship.

It is understood the move to remove Andrew’s titles was taken by the King in light of the serious lapses of judgement his brother made, and that his decision was supported by the wider Royal Family.

The public also seems to back the decision – according to a YouGov poll published on Thursday, 79% of people backed taking away the title and 53% thought the King had now done all that he could.

There were 58% who thought this response should have come sooner, with concerns that the royals had been too slow to take action over the links to Jeffrey Epstein.

Sir Keir Starmer also “totally helps” the Palace’s decision, Downing Street said, and echoed Buckingham Palace’s statement of support for Epstein’s victims.

The controversy around Andrew has been rumbling on for years, but came to a head when he was accused by Virginia Giuffre of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager.

Andrew has strenuously denied the allegations.

In 2022 he paid millions to settle a civil case with her, despite insisting he did not remember meeting her.

Virginia Giuffre’s household stated she had “brought down a prince” following the King’s choice.

Her brother Sky Roberts called for Andrew to be “investigated” and said the King’s decision to remove his titles was “not sufficient, within the sense that he is nonetheless strolling round a free man”.

“I imply, let’s not be naive, that he is not going to be dwelling on the aspect of the highway right here, he is nonetheless in a really, as an example, soft spot… He needs to be investigated, let’s put it that means,” he told Sky News.

The UK trade minister Chris Bryant told the BBC Andrew should, if asked, go to the US to answer questions about the crimes of Epstein.

“I believe that, simply as with every unusual member of the general public, if there have been requests from one other jurisdiction of this sort, I might count on any decently minded individual to adjust to that request,” he said.

Gloria Allred, who has represented victims of Jeffrey Epstein, said Andrew losing his title and grand home was “lengthy overdue” and “positively welcome”.

“This is a person who ought to now not stroll with honour. He needs to be ashamed of himself,” the American lawyer said.

Ms Allred has long called for Andrew to speak to US law enforcement about his former friend Epstein “underneath oath” – something he has “declined” to do so far, she said.

The Metropolitan Police has previously said it is “actively” wanting into media experiences that Andrew tried to acquire private details about his accuser Ms Giuffre via his police safety.