The removal vans have finally arrived at Windsor. Honestly, if you've been following the saga of the man formerly known as the Duke of York, you knew this day was coming, but the speed of it all is still a bit of a shocker. As of January 15, 2026, the long-running "siege of Royal Lodge" is effectively over.
Basically, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is packing his bags. After years of resisting his brother’s attempts to slim down the monarchy’s real estate portfolio, the 65-year-old has reportedly agreed to vacate his 30-room mansion weeks earlier than anyone expected. It’s a massive shift. For a long time, it felt like he was dug in for the long haul, relying on a 75-year lease he signed back in 2003. But things have moved fast since King Charles III officially stripped him of his remaining titles and styles in late 2025.
The latest reports from The Sun and HELLO! confirm that a white Mercedes removal truck was spotted behind the gates of the Windsor estate just yesterday. This isn't just a spring cleaning. It is the end of an era.
The New Reality at Marsh Farm
So, where do you go when you’re forced out of a £30 million mini-palace?
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The answer is a place called Marsh Farm on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. If you're imagining another grand royal residence, think again. It’s been described by some insiders as a "shoebox" in comparison to his previous life. It’s a detached farmhouse that has sat empty for years. Currently, it’s a swarm of activity. There are at least half a dozen workmen on-site, battling the January rain to install CCTV, security fences, and—perhaps most importantly for a man facing social isolation—Sky Broadband.
Andrew is expected to be in by the end of the month. Ideally, he wants to be settled before his 66th birthday on February 19.
He’s not moving in with Sarah Ferguson. That’s the real kicker. After living under the same roof for nearly 20 years despite being divorced, the pair are finally "spreading their wings," as a source told HELLO!. While Andrew heads to the bleak beauty of the Norfolk coast, Sarah is reportedly house-hunting for a private property closer to their daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, in the Windsor or Cotswolds area.
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The Cost of the Fall
Why now? Why give up the lease that was supposed to last until 2078?
- The Financial Squeeze: King Charles reportedly cut off Andrew's private funding and personal security detail. Maintaining a 30-room mansion on a "peppercorn rent" is only cheap if you don't have to pay for the massive repair bill.
- The Lease Trap: A Crown Estate report recently found the property was so dilapidated that if Andrew tried to claim the £488,000 normally owed for surrendering a lease early, he’d likely get nothing. The repair costs he's "neglected" would wipe it out.
- The Name Change: He is officially Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor now. No "His Royal Highness." No "Duke of York." The branding is gone, and the house was the last vestige of that former life.
It's kinda wild to think about the transition. He's going from a home with its own chapel and 98 acres of land to a farmhouse where he’ll likely have to answer his own door.
Is Bahrain the Next Move?
There is some chatter among royal biographers like Robert Jobson that Norfolk might just be a pitstop. There's a theory that Andrew could eventually seek a "gilded exile" in the Middle East, specifically Bahrain.
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The logic is simple: in the UK, his reputation is effectively radioactive. Every time he goes for a horse ride, the tabloids are there. In the Middle East, he might still get the "second son of the Queen" treatment that he clearly craves. Whether that actually happens depends on how he handles the quiet life in Wolferton. Some think he'll hate the "cushioned isolation" of the countryside. Others think he has no choice but to disappear from the public eye entirely.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Titles
A lot of people assume the King just snapped his fingers and the titles vanished. It was actually a "formal process" involving the Lord Chancellor and the peerage roll. While he lost the big ones—Duke of York, Earl of Inverness—his daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, keep theirs. They aren't part of this eviction drama, though they are reportedly "very upset" about the family home being split up.
There’s also the matter of Sarah Ferguson’s title. Since she’s no longer married to a Duke, she’s back to being Sarah Ferguson professionally and personally. The "Duchess of York" era is officially in the rearview mirror.
What to Watch for Next
If you're keeping tabs on this, the next two weeks are the "red zone."
- January 25: This is the rumored hard deadline for the keys to be handed over at Royal Lodge.
- The Valuables Auction: Keep an ear out for rumors of royal memorabilia hitting the market. There’s been talk that the couple might sell off private letters or jewelry to fund their new, un-subsidized lifestyles.
- The February 19 Birthday: This will be Andrew's first birthday as a private citizen in decades. How (and where) he spends it will tell us a lot about his mental state.
Actionable Insight: For those following royal history, the best way to track the finality of this move is through the Court Circular. Once his residence is officially listed as Sandringham (private) rather than Windsor, the legal transition is complete. If you are interested in the architectural fate of Royal Lodge, keep an eye on planning applications for Windsor Great Park; there is already speculation it could be earmarked for the Prince and Princess of Wales in the future.