The big sign Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is preparing to pick up his favourite royal hobby at new home

New home, same hobby? It seems Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor will be continuing his hobby of horse riding when he moves into Marsh Farm in Norfolk. On Wednesday, workmen were seen beginning renovations on the old stable block at the disgraced Duke’s future home so he can keep riding.

A machine was spotted pumping concrete into the courtyard of the dilapidated stable block behind the Victorian farmhouse located in Wolferton village.

The stable block is said to be just metres away from the home’s back door, so refurbishing it would mean that the King’s brother could keep his horses there and ride out into the fields behind the farm.

Andrew, who often rode while living at Royal Lodge in Windsor, has not been publicly seen on a horse since moving to Norfolk earlier this month. His horses are not believed to have been moved to Sandringham just yet.

Prior to his move to Norfolk, Andrew was pictured riding horses along the Royal Mews in Windsor with his daughter Princess Beatrice and his four-year-old granddaughter, Sienna Mapelli Mozzi. 

Despite Andrew’s fall from grace over his past friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a friend previously told HELLO! that his daughters, Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, “are not abandoning their father”. The friend said: “They aren’t turning their backs on him. But everything is obviously very strained and hard.”

Renovations at Andrew’s future home, Marsh Farm, have been underway for the last couple of months, with workmen pictured on site installing CCTV and a six-foot fence around the perimeter. Last year, a no-fly zone around Sandringham was extended to include Marsh Farm.

The father-of-two visited the five-bedroom property with his security team last week to check on the renovations. The outing marked the former Duke’s first sighting since leaving Windsor.  

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Andrew is temporarily staying at Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate after leaving his longtime residence, Royal Lodge, on February 2. The owner of the neighbouring pub, The Black Horse Inn, recently told HELLO! that locals are “split” on Andrew. When asked how they’ve reacted to his arrival, the pub owner shared: “It’s a 50/50 split, some are disgusted with his potential behaviour, but others say he hasn’t been convicted and he’s innocent until proven guilty.”

Andrew’s move to Wood Farm came months after his older brother King Charles stripped him of his title, style and honours. A formal notice to surrender the lease to Royal Lodge, his home of over 20 years, was also served. The action taken by His Majesty followed the release of Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre‘s memoir, Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice. In the book, Virginia alleged that she was forced to have sex three times with Queen Elizabeth‘s second son. Andrew has continued to deny the allegations against him. 

Lawyer David Boies, who represented Virginia, remarked on Piers Morgan Uncensored that Andrew has an “obligation to tell what he knows.” “Now, I also think that if he’s afraid of being arrested in the United States, we ought to give him safe passage to come to the United States to testify, because we don’t want there to be any excuse for him not coming and telling what he knows,” David said.

“But he knows a lot. How much I don’t know myself because they gave up in the litigation we had against them just before his deposition was supposed to be taken,” he added. “I don’t think anybody knows how much he knows, but we know he knows a lot from his contact, and whatever he knows, even if it was a little bit, he has an obligation to share that.”