OK! can reveal disgraced Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was shaken when confronted with two huge and symbolic changes on his return to Windsor Castle after losing his royal titles.
The changes followed Buckingham Palace’s decision last year to formally remove Andrew’s title as prince – part of a wider effort to distance the monarchy from the disgraced royal amid continuing controversy surrounding his friendship with convicted s– offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 at age 66 from an alleged suicide.
Andrew, 65, the younger brother of King Charles, 77, had already relinquished his role as a working royal before his latest humiliation.
A well-placed palace source has now told us Andrew – now known merely as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor – noticed two huge shifts immediately when he returned to Windsor Castle after news broke his royal status had been revoked by Charles in October.
They said: “The shift at Windsor Castle was immediate and unmistakable.”
“On his first return after losing his title, the former prince received no salutes from the guards,” they added. “The ritual deference he once expected from guards and other staff has now vanished entirely. The bows that used to greet him at every step are gone, and he noticed was some staff even seemed to take satisfaction in addressing him as Mr Mountbatten Windsor rather than Your Royal Highness.”
The loss of obvious deference and bows marked the first of two major changes Andrew reportedly faced. Another was the withdrawal of a practical but telling privilege.
Our source added: “The changes did not stop there for the former royal. One of the more symbolic privileges he lost was the ability to have meals sent over from the Castle, a perk he had come to regard as routine.”
They continued: “The decision to end that service was widely interpreted as a deliberate message that the protections and special treatment he once enjoyed were no longer in place.”
Buckingham Palace has confirmed Andrew would now be known formally as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and that he and his former wife, Sarah Ferguson, 66, would be required to vacate Royal Lodge, their $40 million long-time home on the Windsor estate.
The tightening of restrictions comes amid renewed scrutiny of Andrew’s past spending.
A recent book by royal author Robert Jobson claimed King Charles blocked what was described as Andrew’s “bizarre” request to spend £32,000 – approximately $40,000 – on spiritual Indian gurus while staying at home.
The payment had allegedly been agreed by the late queen before Charles intervened.
In The Windsor Legacy: A Royal Dynasty, Jobson quoted a senior insider explaining the shift in approach.
They told him about Charles’ cost-cutting move: “This (was not) about financial cuts. (It was) about getting value for money and efficiency. Sometimes less truly is more.”
A source added: “Together, the loss of ceremonial respect for Andrew and the removal of everyday entitlements have served as stark reminders of his forever altered position in the royals, as the palace moves to enforce a more disciplined and publicly accountable household and protect their brand.”
Andrew is said to have been given until February to vacate the 31-room Royal Lodge, along with Ferguson.
Insiders say the palatial home is now filling with boxes of the pair’s belongings as they have lived there for years despite their divorce decades ago.
They add Andrew is filling his final days playing Call of Duty and watching his widescreen TV, while Ferguson drowns her sorrows in a secret pub nearby, aptly called The Dog House.
Read more at OK!
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