Getty and BBC
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor will not have to leave Royal Lodge immediately and could move to Sandringham as late as the new year, the BBC understands.
On Thursday, King Charles stripped his younger brother of his titles and honours, and moved to force him out of his Windsor mansion. He will be moving to a property on the King’s Norfolk estate, paid for by the monarch.
The dramatic statement came after months of pressure over Andrew’s private life, as his ties to disgraced paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein continued to dog the royals. Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, the government has said it had no plans to pass a law to formally remove Andrew from the line of succession.
Andrew remains eighth in line to the throne, the only significant position he still holds – but there have been calls to bring in legislation to stop any chance of him becoming King.
It would take an act of Parliament to formally remove him which would be complex and would need to be agreed with all the Commonwealth realms, including Australia and Canada.
Buckingham Palace has said Andrew’s move from Royal Lodge in Windsor to Sandringham will take place “as soon as possible and practicable”.
But according to royal sources, a delay in Andrew moving until the new year would avoid the embarrassment of him being in Sandringham at Christmas – where the Royal Family traditionally gathers for the festive season.
Andrew will move to an undisclosed property on the privately-owned estate, with the accommodation funded by the King who will also make private financial provisions for his brother.
Sandringham was bought in 1862 by the then Prince of Wales, who later became Edward VII, as a private country retreat.
The historic, sprawling estate spans approximately 31 sq miles (80 sq km) of gardens – making it around the same size as Nottingham or Brighton and Hove.
On Friday, fresh court documents were published in the US showing that Andrew said in 2010 it would be “good to catch up in person” with Epstein, after the convicted sex offende
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