Inside Royal Lodge and Wood Farm: Ex-prince Andrew's properties searched by cops

Former prince and King Charles III’s younger brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was arrested in a probe into suspected misconduct in public office, linked to allegations he shared confidential information with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during his time as a UK trade envoy.

Thames Valley Police are searching properties in Berkshire and Norfolk linked to the former prince after his arrest -- including Royal Lodge in Berkshire, where he lived for more than two decades, and Sandringham in Norfolk, where he now lives on the King’s estate.

Photographs of unmarked police cars and plainclothes officers at Wood Farm on the Norfolk's Sandringham estate, where Andrew now lives, were published on Thursday.

For more than two decades, Royal Lodge served as Andrew’s main home, shared with his then-wife Sarah Ferguson even after their divorce. Set within 98 acres of the Windsor Estate, about three miles from Windsor Castle, the 30-room mansion had been his residence since 2003. But by January this year, he was forced to leave amid the continuing fallout from his links to Jeffrey Epstein.

HOW ANDREW CAME TO LIVE AT ROYAL LODGE

Andrew moved into Royal Lodge in 2003 after signing a 75-year lease with the Crown Estate following the death of the Queen Mother, who had lived there for half a century. He paid a one-off £1 million for the lease and later spent about £7.5 million refurbishing the 30-room house and its 98-acre grounds.

The estate hosted private events, including Princess Eugenie’s wedding reception in 2018, and remained closely associated with Andrew’s identity as Duke of York.

The turning point came in 2019, when Andrew stepped back from public duties after intense backlash over his ties with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and a widely criticised BBC interview about the relationship. Over the next few years, his standing within the monarchy steadily eroded.

He was stripped of military titles and patronage and lost his royal title. Without public duties, he also lost the financial support and institutional support that had helped sustain the large Windsor estate.

As further Epstein-related revelations emerged and scrutiny intensified, Andrew became a reputational liability for the monarchy. The royal family moved to create distance from him, and his stay in a Crown Estate home was drawing increasing criticism.

WHY HE WAS FORCED TO LEAVE

By late 2025, pressure had grown for Andrew to leave Royal Lodge. King Charles III, who became monarch in 2022, was reorganising royal roles and residences around working members of the family. Andrew, who no longer carried out public duties, did not fit that structure.

Financial concerns also played a role. Maintaining Royal Lodge required huge funds. Reports that Andrew paid only a nominal annual rent under his historic lease added to public scrutiny once he was no longer an active royal.

Against this backdrop, Andrew was forced to leave Royal Lodge in January 2026.

ANDREW'S NEW RESIDENCE AT SANDRINGHAM

After leaving Windsor, Andrew relocated to Wood Farm, a smaller house on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. Unlike Royal Lodge, which belongs to the Crown Estate, Sandringham is privately owned by the monarch.

The house itself carries royal history, having been the late Duke of Edinburgh’s home after he stepped back from duties in 2017. By moving there, Andrew shifted from Crown housing to property held personally by the King.

Andrew’s arrest on his 66th birthday has now brought both properties back into public view. Officers were seen entering Royal Lodge in Windsor and Wood Farm in Norfolk.

Andrew has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.

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