Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor‘s new home has been hit with a major change that signals his new status as a “commoner”.
It can be revealed that the former prince, who moved into his permanent home, five-bedroom Marsh Farm, two weeks ago, shares the same front door style as the rest of the staff and general public on King Charles‘s Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
Marsh Farm now has a light blue front door, just like the other 200 tenants on the estate, which is owned by Andrew’s older brother, the King.
The King owns more than 300 properties in 12 villages across the 20,000-acre estate, distinguished by their light blue doors – a tradition established by the Queen Mother.
One local said: “Andrew has a front door matching the Sandringham staff, which shows just how far he has fallen from grace. He is now just like every other tenant.
“The colour of the front door indicates the house is owned by the King, so it’s a constant reminder that his brother is paying for him to live there. As a tenant, you are not allowed to change the front door, so he is stuck with it.”
Andrew’s new home in Sandringham
Charles, whose Sandringham property portfolio is worth about £75 million, is paying for Andrew to live in the former farmhouse in Wolferton, after he was exiled from Royal Lodge in Windsor at the start of February.
The former working farm, which includes a main house with two reception rooms, a kitchen and several outbuildings, is believed to have stood empty for a number of years, and workmen have spent months renovating it for Andrew to move in.
It lies on a flood plain two miles away from the King’s main Sandringham House and is cut off from the rest of Norfolk by the Dersingham Bog.
Marsh Farm’s deeds show that Queen Elizabeth II bought the property in 2013, and it passed to King Charles in 2022.
© UK Press via Getty ImagesA final blow
In the past six months, Andrew has given up his “Prince” and “Duke of York” titles and moved from his beloved Royal Lodge, where he paid a “peppercorn” sum in rent. He was stripped of his remaining titles by King Charles in October.
In January, the former Prince was met with more scrutiny after a new batch of Epstein files was released by the US government, including concerns over his role as UK trade envoy.
© AFP via Getty ImagesThe following month, Andrew was arrested on his 66th birthday at Wood Farm Cottage, his temporary home in Sandringham, and held in custody for 11 hours on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Charles, 77, previously emphasised that he would support the police in any investigation into his brother, saying: “Let me state clearly: the law must take its course.”
Earlier this month, Andrew was hit with a further blow as he was urged to surrender one of his final remaining honours – the Freedom of the City of London.
Read the full article here
