Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor might not be leaving Royal Lodge until the new year, but until then, he's said to be busy negotiating what his new life on the Sandringham estate will look like. A royal source recently told People that the former Duke of York and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, will be vacating their home by January 31. While the ex-prince will be moving to Norfolk, Ferguson will be finding her own place near Windsor. But when it comes to the details of Andrew's new home, friends say he expects to live in relative luxury.
Most homes would feel like a significant downgrade after living in a 30-room mansion like Royal Lodge. But according to the Daily Beast's Royalist Substack, sources have told the outlet that the ex-duke "is demanding a substantial six or seven bedroom house on the Sandringham Estate complete with staff including a cook, gardener, housekeeper, driver and police security."
One friend of Andrew's told The Royalist that even though the former prince has been forced to leave Royal Lodge after his repeated scandals, he feels he's entitled to a certain standard of living. "He is giving up the lease on one of England’s finest houses and expects to be treated fairly," the source said.
"Andrew has done exactly what has been asked of him and he just wants to be left alone," another friend added.
The Royal Family has not released details about where Andrew will be moving on the 20,000-acre Sandringham estate, which is privately owned by The King. However, a former courtier told The Royalist that it wasn't surprising Andrew was making demands about his new home.
"Knowing Andrew, this was always going to be about money," the insider claimed. "Andrew is essentially being bought out of the lease, so he will haggle over every last detail of the deal."
On December 2, it was revealed that the substantial cost of repairs necessary on Royal Lodge would likely cancel out the compensation that would be owed to Andrew for breaking his lease, which was set to expire in 2078.
A report presented by the Crown Estate (via the Guardian) reads: "Our initial assessment is that while the extent of end of tenancy dilapidations and repairs required are not out of keeping with a tenancy of this duration, they will mean in all likelihood that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor will not be owed any compensation for early surrender of the lease once dilapidations are taken into account."
If repairs weren't necessary, the former prince could have walked away with a settlement of £488,342.21, per the terms of his lease.
