Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor will move into Marsh Farm, Wolferton, but is not being welcomed by neighb (Image: PA)
It takes me just a few minutes after arriving in the sleepy Norfolk village of Wolferton to discover what residents really think of their deeply controversial new neighbour, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. The disgraced former Duke of York is moving to the ramshackle and isolated Marsh Farm, on the Sandringham Estate, after being stripped of his royal titles following the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
Buried down a desolate single-track road, it is one of the remotest places you could imagine – and clearly a breathtaking comedown for someone used to a gilded life of luxury. While the village has a rural charm, many of its properties – including Marsh Farm – seem old, dilapidated and in need of repair. Builders and even a Sky TV engineer have been seen at the site carrying out extensive renovation work. Nestled next to a nature reserve, Wolferton’s outdoor beauty is second to none, yet a world away from the glitz and glamour of Andrew’s previous home of Royal Lodge, Windsor.
Visiting to learn more about the tiny village of about 40 to 50 houses, which the shamed ex-prince will soon call home, I bump into a resident out for her morning run.
After telling me how peaceful Wolferton is and how deeply everyone respects that it is King Charles’s country retreat, I walk down into the village when I notice her running back towards me, trying to get my attention. She has something important to say.
“I just want to say that I think Andrew is an absolute disgrace,” she fumes. “We live among the royals, and everyone is very respectful of that.
“With the greatest respect to the Royal Family, I think it will spoil the village.
“I’m disappointed that he’s been moved within the village when the Crown Estate has other places. They could’ve put him somewhere away from the village.
“There are going to be a lot of reporters and paparazzi, whereas this has always been such a quiet, private, peaceful place.
“We got a taste of it when the [late] Queen died. It’s going to change life around here, and I’m not the only one who feels that way.”
Residents of Wolferton are used to a quiet, peaceful life (Image: Phil Harris/Daily Express)
That outburst sets the tone for my conversations over the next few hours, with residents united in their opinion: we don’t want him here.
You can see the attraction Wolferton holds for someone who just wants to disappear into obscurity after being shamed by accusations of sexual abuse, which Andrew strenuously denies.
There are no shops where you might have awkward conversations with disapproving neighbours while buying a pint of milk, with only one or two people walking about at any one time. It is so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
There is a social club opposite the now-disused Wolferton station, but it is highly unlikely Andrew will have his eyes down for bingo on the first Sunday of every month or take part in games of cribbage or darts on Thursday evenings.
Andrew is not expected to join in the many activities on offer at Wolferton Social Club (Image: Phil Harris/Daily Express)
He could join Wolferton Bowls Club between April and September, but is more known for his interest in golf. The nearest club, several miles away, has not said whether it would accept him as a member.
There are no places to eat or get a takeaway in the village, and the nearest Pizza Express – where he famously dined with his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie in Woking – is a 20-minute drive away in King’s Lynn.
Horse riding is another of Andrew’s famous pastimes, but Sandringham councillor Tony Bubb says: “You hardly ever see any horses around here. I can’t remember the last time I saw anybody riding a horse.”
An organiser of the Sandringham Pleasure Ride, a twice-annual event on the royal estate, suggests he could join in, saying: “Everyone is welcome.”
But the slow pace of life begs the question: how on earth will an ex-prince used to high-society parties spend his time?
Philip Sheppard, 61, from nearby Ingoldisthorpe, who comes to Wolferton once a week to walk his dog and knows a few people who live in the area, says: “What he’s going to do around here, I really don’t know.
“He’s going to be a bit bored and isolated, I’d have thought.
“I don’t think it’ll do his health much good. The fact he won’t have Fergie to be a regular support will really have an effect on him.”
Stephen Merryweather, pictured with wife Vivianne, says Wolferton is a ‘pleasant area’ (Image: Phil Harris/Daily Express)
Marsh Farm is currently being renovated ready for Andrew to move in (Image: Phil Harris/Daily Express)
Many of Andrew’s new neighbours are workers or ex-staff on the Sandringham estate, meaning that people who were once effectively his servants are now his mere mortals.
They might have been expected to roll out the red carpet for him in the past, but not so now.
“They just don’t want him here,” says Mr Sheppard. “They just think it’s going to be a nuisance and a great bother. You’ll have press and photographers. They’re worried about extra traffic.
“People are treating it as a real kind of nuisance and a bit of an unwelcome addition to the royal residence.”
Wolferton residents and visitors are no strangers to bumping into members of the Royal Family – the late Queen was regularly seen driving through the village in her Range Rover, while Prince Philip and Prince Edward have both stopped to chat with locals.
But residents seem to be nervous about a chance encounter with Andrew, who is frequently described by commentators as exuding entitlement.
“My wife said: ‘I hope he doesn’t do his shopping in the local Co-op’,” says Mr Sheppard, which is three miles away in Dersingham.
Residents describe Wolferton as a “tight-knit” community with a “good community feel”.
“It’s very self-contained. It’s a place where people look out for each other,” says one.
Stephen Merryweather, 73, from King’s Lynn, visiting with his wife Vivianne, 78, adds: “It’s a pleasant area, very quiet. You see so much wildlife. It’s very exclusive.”
But Mr Bubb suggests that someone with Andrew’s chequered reputation would find it difficult to ingratiate themselves with the neighbours.
“The indigenous locals are fairly hard to get to know,” he explains. “And the ones that move in don’t really know anybody, so they tend to keep themselves to themselves.”
One Dersingham resident who brings her children to the nursery in Wolferton will certainly be difficult to win over.
“I don’t like him,” she says bluntly. “No one wants him. Everyone is saying that we don’t want him here. Everyone knows everyone, and everyone has got the same thoughts.”
Nearby resident Nancy Rothery thinks life in Norfolk will be a “huge adjustment” for the eighth in line to the throne.
“It’s a different lifestyle from what he’s used to,” said the 65-year-old. “I imagine he’ll have far less flexibility to live as he did previously.”
Her husband Craig, 60, adds: “We lived in London for 20 years, and we found it an adjustment living in Norfolk, in terms of what you can do and facilities for residents. But it’s a beautiful part of the country.”
The couple believe there are “far worse places” to be banished to, with miles of idyllic walking routes to enjoy and decades of royal history.
Craig and Nancy Rothery think Norfolk will be a ‘different lifestyle’ for the ex-prince (Image: Andrew Papworth)
Sandringham hosts one of the UK’s most picturesque Parkruns on a Saturday morning, although Andrew is not known for being a jogger.
The 65-year-old has spoken about his eclectic taste in music, so could join the crowds for Eric Clapton on the Sandringham estate on August 23 as part of the Heritage Live series of concerts.
However, Garry Stewart, 72, visiting Sandringham with his wife Mel, 71, and dog Georgie, says: “I don’t think you’ll see him wander about among the crowds. He’ll just keep himself to himself. Whether he’ll be here a long time, I don’t know.”
Garry Stewart, pictured with his wife Mel, does not expect to see Andrew around Sandringham (Image: Phil Harris/Daily Express)
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Natalie, another local resident, thinks “he’ll be lonely”.
She adds: “If you speak to people, a lot of people are not happy that he’s coming.
“It’s 100 miles from London, where all the contacts he’s got left are and his family.
“It’s a tight little community. I imagine it’s going to have a detrimental effect.
“He’s going to keep a low profile. Everyone knows his history, and he’s not well received.”
However, Bruce McEwan, a runner who has been jogging in Wolferton for nearly 60 years, believes Andrew should be left to get on with his new life in Norfolk.
The 79-year-old, who was on a three-mile run around Dersingham Bog, often bumped into Prince Philip and regularly enjoyed a chat with the late Queen’s husband.
Bruce McEwan thinks people should now leave Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor alone (Image: Andrew Papworth)
“It’s beautiful, just fantastic – the squirrels, the birds, the wildlife, everything about it,” he remarks about Wolferton. “I’ll have my ashes spread here.
“There are an awful lot of houses that belong to the workers. I think the Royal Family give quite a lot back.
“This business about Andrew, I just think leave it alone. They’ve got the meat off the bone.
“From Andrew’s point of view, it’s a good place to be alone. You wouldn’t imagine he’d want to bump into anyone. I think he’ll just disappear.”
The former duke might be looking to keep a low profile, but his arrival in Wolferton will certainly not go unnoticed.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.express.co.uk ’
