Andrew Mountbatten Windsor has been spending his final days at Royal Lodge ‘ranting to himself’ while his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson has taken refuge at the secret ‘The Doghouse’ bar where she is confiding to staff.
Buckingham Palace announced last week that the former Duke of York, 65, would have all of his royal titles stripped over his links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
In a bombshell statement, the Palace coldly announced the ‘censures [were] deemed necessary’ amid the growing controversy surrounding his relationship with the financier, with whom Andrew lied about cutting ties.
Within hours, the former royal was erased from the Roll of the Peerage, and it was revealed he could face a private prosecution over allegations of sexual assault, corruption and misconduct in public office.
Andrew is also being booted from Royal Lodge, his and Fergie’s 30-room home in Windsor, where he paid ‘peppercorn rent’ over 20 years.
He will move out of the residence to a property on the Sandringham estate as soon as practically possible but the specifics regarding the relocation are unknown.
But, in the meantime, Andrew and his ex-wife have been making the most of their final days at their longtime home – by sleeping at opposite ends and only meeting for meal-times to chat about how the walls continue to cave in around them, The Sun reports.
A source said: ‘They are both spending a lot of time alone.
Andrew pictured with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson in September. He has been spending his final days at Royal Lodge ‘ranting to himself’ while she has been hiding at the secret ‘Doghouse’ bar
Pictured: Royal Lodge. Andrew will now move into a property on the private Sandringham estate and it’s understood any accommodation he lives in will be privately funded by The King
‘Andrew rarely goes out and has been padding around the lodge and ranting and muttering.’
Meanwhile, Ferguson, 66, whiles away the hours at purpose-built bar The Doghouse which sits behind the mansion.
She has been baring her soul to friends and staff, who she has been asking to stay extra hours to keep her company, at the on-site pub.
They still unite for meals, where they chat about their futures and their safety, thanks to Andrew’s links to Epstein, The Sun reports.
Fergie is reportedly struggling amid the turmoil and is concerned about the futures of their daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie.
She is said to be uncertain about where she will live next, although she knows for certain that it will not be with Andrew.
The former duke has lived at the Grade II-listed mansion on the grounds of Windsor Castle for over two decades with Fergie, despite their divorce in 1996.
It comes after Andrew was ordered to appear in front of Congress to explain his links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew and Fergie pictured with their daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. The family are said to remain close
Andrew last week had all of his royal titles stripped over his links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein
Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee sent the disgraced royal a letter on Thursday saying they believe he possesses important information about people with links to the late financier’s crimes.
It read: ‘The Oversight Committee will investigate allegations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein’s operations, network, and associates based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship.’
Robert Garcia, the most senior Democratic figure on the committee, added: ‘Rich and powerful men have evaded justice for far too long.
‘Now, former Prince Andrew has the opportunity to come clean and provide justice for the survivors.’
In Thursday’s letter, the Democratic committee members say Andrew’s friendship with Epstein started in 1999 and they stayed close friends following his conviction nine years later for procuring minors for prostitution.
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor – as he is now known – has for many years been dogged by allegations he sexually abused Virginia Giuffre after she was trafficked by Epstein, which he strenuously denies.
Ms Giuffre alleged she was forced to have sex three times with Andrew, including when she was 17 and also during an orgy, after she was trafficked by Epstein.
Andrew paid millions to settle the civil sex case with her in 2022, despite insisting he had never met her.
Princess Beatrice pictured accepting her role as deputy patron of The Outward Bound Trust with her uncle Prince Edward at a reception and dinner at St James’s Palace on Thursday
In 2019, the charity accepted Andrew’s resignation following his disastrous Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis, having supported the then Duke, pictured in 2001, for decades
In some rare good news, his daughter Princess Beatrice landed a major charity role amid the growing scandal engulfing her family.
His elder daughter has become deputy patron of The Outward Bound Trust, an organisation encouraging young people to spend time outdoors.
She joins her uncle Prince Edward, who was announced as the royal patron of the charity at a special event at St James’s Palace on Thursday.
Beatrice, 37, has already been a trustee of The Outward Bound Trust since 2019 – the same year the charity accepted Andrew’s resignation as patron following his disastrous Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis, having supported the then Duke for decades.
Andrew himself took on the role from his father, Prince Philip, who was patron for 65 years, with many believing it was the charity closest to his heart.
It comes after it emerged that Beatrice, who is ninth in line to the throne, and her sister Princess Eugenie, who is 12th, will retain their titles as the walls cave in around their father Andrew.
Amid the controversy Charles is said to be very keen to ‘protect’ nieces Beatrice and Eugenie, 35, who remain Her Royal Highnesses as granddaughters of Queen Elizabeth.
‘He wouldn’t have wanted to sign off on anything that would impact them,’ a source told the Daily Mail.
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie were spotted hugging on Thursday after a week where their father has also been taken off the Roll of the Peerage
‘His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew,’ the palace said.
In 2019, following Andrew’s calamitous Newsnight interview where he discussed his friendship with Epstein, The Outbound Trust became the second charity to accept his resignation.
On Thursday, Beatrice and Eugenie shared a warm, lingering hug on a busy street close to Green Park and Buckingham Palace – around the time when Charles III issued a rare Letters Patent.
The official document, published by the Crown Office in The Gazette, the UK’s official public record, formally stripped Andrew of his prince title and also removed his HRH.
Beatrice and Eugenie are close to their parents but have been reportedly spending more time supporting their beleaguered father.
They have also supported their mother Ferguson, who is said to be considering emigrating while Andrew will be banished to Sandringham, Norfolk.
But yesterday they were supporting each other through what will also be a very testing time for them too.
Multiple sources told the Daily Mail that both princesses have gone out of their way to strongly support beleaguered Andrew in recent weeks.
Andrew, Virginia Giuffre and sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell in a photo reportedly taken in 2001, when Giuffre was 17 years old. Andrew denied having sex with Ms Giuffre, but forked out millions in an out of court settlement in February 2022
Both girls are said to be deeply worried about his mental wellbeing, with Andrew having become a virtual recluse at Royal Lodge, which he is due to leave.
But one source said it won’t be for a while.
‘Even when she is sitting in Royal Lodge, Sarah can spend the money,’ one informed source told Rebecca English.
‘The Amazon deliveries that go up to Royal Lodge are unbelievable. There are rooms full of boxes that haven’t even been opened.
‘It will take weeks, if not months, to shift all their s*** out.’
Last week, Andrew also relinquished his position as Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victoria Order.
His ex-wife, Sarah also lost her title and became plain Sarah Ferguson.
The former prince’s decision was made after strong pressure from King Charles and in discussion with other family members, including Prince William, as heir to the throne, as well as Andrew’s other siblings, Princess Anne and Prince Edward.
Andrew is expected to leave Royal Lodge and move to a new home on the Sandringham estate – which is owned by the Royal Family.
The move was entirely down to the King and his advisers, without pressure from the government or other family members, such as Prince William, sources told the Daily Mail.
‘The process has been under way for some while but there was a need to get it right in the face of some very big challenges,’ an insider said.
Notice was not served on Prince Andrew to move. It was his lease, so it was up to the former Duke of York to serve notice himself, suggesting that he is not fighting the process.
It comes as His Majesty had made it clear he would not hesitate to take ‘further action’ if his younger brother continued to cling on to his dukedom and other honours after he lied about cutting ties with paedophile financier Epstein, the Daily Mail previously revealed.
And despite the tsunami of growing evidence mounting against him, the 65-year-old was understood to still be ‘digging his heels in’ with a ‘startling lack of contrition’, in a situation the King deemed ‘intolerable’, sources previously said.
Last week, the row over the Royal Lodge continued to grow amid damning revelations in a posthumous memoir from Andrew’s sex abuse accuser Virginia Giuffre, who took her own life this year, aged 41.
Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice was released in this month, with the manuscript having been completed before she died.
The explosive book revolves around her years spent as a sex slave to Epstein and his British madam Ghislaine Maxwell.
Extracts published by The Guardian show Ms Giuffre, who said she was trafficked by Epstein three times for sex with Andrew, called the ex-duke ‘entitled’ and viewing sex as his ‘birthright’.
Andrew denied having sex with Ms Giuffre, but forked out millions in an out of court settlement in February 2022.
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