{"id":2253277,"date":"2026-01-27T19:42:38","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T19:42:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2253277"},"modified":"2026-01-27T19:42:38","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T19:42:38","slug":"furious-locals-in-andrews-new-village-say-nobody-wants-him-here-royal-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/furious-locals-in-andrews-new-village-say-nobody-wants-him-here-royal-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Furious locals in Andrew’s new village say ‘nobody wants him here’ | Royal | News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor will move into Marsh Farm, Wolferton, but is not being welcomed by neighb (Image: PA)<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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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<\/a>. 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<\/a> following the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.<\/p>\n

Buried down a desolate single-track road, it is one of the remotest places you could imagine \u2013 and clearly a breathtaking comedown<\/a> for someone used to a gilded life of luxury. While the village has a rural charm, many of its properties \u2013 including Marsh Farm \u2013 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<\/a>. Nestled next to a nature reserve, Wolferton\u2019s outdoor beauty is second to none, yet a world away from the glitz and glamour of Andrew\u2019s previous home of Royal Lodge, Windsor<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Visiting to learn more about the tiny village of about 40 to 50 houses, which the shamed ex-prince will soon call home<\/a>, I bump into a resident out for her morning run.<\/p>\n

After telling me how peaceful Wolferton is and how deeply everyone respects that it is King Charles\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Read more:<\/strong> Andrew rages ‘throwing tantrum’ after ex-prince exiled to farmhouse <\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI just want to say that I think Andrew is an absolute disgrace,\u201d she fumes. \u201cWe live among the royals, and everyone is very respectful of that.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the greatest respect to the Royal Family, I think it will spoil the village.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m disappointed that he\u2019s been moved within the village when the Crown Estate has other places. They could\u2019ve put him somewhere away from the village.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are going to be a lot of reporters and paparazzi, whereas this has always been such a quiet, private, peaceful place.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got a taste of it when the [late] Queen died. It\u2019s going to change life around here, and I\u2019m not the only one who feels that way.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Residents of Wolferton are used to a quiet, peaceful life (Image: Phil Harris\/Daily Express)<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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That outburst sets the tone for my conversations over the next few hours, with residents united in their opinion: we don\u2019t want him here.<\/p>\n

You can see the attraction Wolferton holds for someone who just wants to disappear into obscurity after being shamed by accusations of sexual abuse<\/a>, which Andrew strenuously denies.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Andrew is not expected to join in the many activities on offer at Wolferton Social Club (Image: Phil Harris\/Daily Express)<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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He could join Wolferton Bowls Club between April and September, but is\u00a0more known for his interest in golf<\/a>. The nearest club, several miles away, has not said whether it would accept him as a member.<\/p>\n

There are no places to eat or get a takeaway in the village, and\u00a0the nearest Pizza Express<\/a> \u2013 where he famously dined with his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie in Woking \u2013 is a 20-minute drive away in King\u2019s Lynn.<\/p>\n

Horse riding is another of Andrew\u2019s famous pastimes<\/a>, but Sandringham councillor Tony Bubb says: \u201cYou hardly ever see any horses around here. I can\u2019t remember the last time I saw anybody riding a horse.\u201d<\/p>\n

An organiser of the Sandringham Pleasure Ride, a twice-annual event on the royal estate, suggests he could join in, saying: \u201cEveryone is welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the slow pace of life begs the question: how on earth will an ex-prince used to high-society parties spend his time?<\/p>\n

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: \u201cWhat he\u2019s going to do around here, I really don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s going to be a bit bored and isolated, I\u2019d have thought.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019ll do his health much good. The fact\u00a0he won\u2019t have Fergie to be a regular support<\/a>\u00a0will really have an effect on him.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Stephen Merryweather, pictured with wife Vivianne, says Wolferton is a ‘pleasant area’ (Image: Phil Harris\/Daily Express)<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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Marsh Farm is currently being renovated ready for Andrew to move in (Image: Phil Harris\/Daily Express)<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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Many of Andrew\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

They might have been expected to roll out the red carpet for him in the past, but not so now.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey just don\u2019t want him here,\u201d says Mr Sheppard. \u201cThey just think it\u2019s going to be a nuisance and a great bother. You\u2019ll have press and photographers. They\u2019re worried about extra traffic.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are treating it as a real kind of nuisance and a bit of an unwelcome addition to the royal residence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wolferton residents and visitors are no strangers to bumping into members of the Royal Family \u2013 the late Queen was regularly seen driving through the village\u00a0in her Range Rover<\/a>, while Prince Philip and Prince Edward have both stopped to chat with locals.<\/p>\n

But residents seem to be nervous about a chance encounter with Andrew, who is frequently described by commentators\u00a0as exuding entitlement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy wife said: \u2018I hope he doesn\u2019t do his shopping in the local Co-op\u2019,\u201d says Mr Sheppard, which is three miles away in Dersingham.<\/p>\n

Residents describe Wolferton as a \u201ctight-knit\u201d community with a \u201cgood community feel\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very self-contained. It\u2019s a place where people look out for each other,\u201d says one.<\/p>\n

Stephen Merryweather, 73, from King\u2019s Lynn, visiting with his wife Vivianne, 78, adds: \u201cIt\u2019s a pleasant area, very quiet. You see so much wildlife. It\u2019s very exclusive.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n