Former Prince Andrew moves out of Windsor’s Royal Lodge, CNN understands

By Max Foster, CNN

London (CNN) — Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Britain’s Prince Andrew, has moved out of his longtime Windsor home and is now a resident of Norfolk, England, CNN understands.

In October, Mountbatten-Windsor was ordered to leave the sprawling 30-room Royal Lodge in the heart of the Crown’s Windsor Estate, just outside of London, after his brother King Charles III cast him out of the monarchy over the swirling Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

The move was expected to occur after the holiday season, but it comes amid renewed pressure on Mountbatten-Windsor after he appeared again in a newly released trove of US Justice Department documents related to the investigation into the deceased convicted sex offender.

Royal sources told CNN last year that Mountbatten-Windsor will be given a house on the King’s private estate in Sandringham and will also receive an income from Charles. Britain’s public broadcaster the BBC reported that he now is staying in a temporary property at Sandringham, while his permanent residence undergoes renovations.

Mountbatten-Windsor is expected to make occasional visits back to Windsor in the coming weeks while a transitionary phase is completed, CNN understands. The former prince was seen riding a horse in Windsor Great Park, near Royal Lodge, on Monday.

Mountbatten-Windsor left Royal Lodge on Monday and was driven to Sandringham estate in Norfolk under the cover of darkness to avoid being seen, Britain’s Sun newspaper reported Tuesday.

Andrew’s occupation of the Royal Lodge – for which he paid just $1 million for a 75-year lease with peppercorn, meaning nominal, annual rent “if required” – became a source of public outrage in Britain last October after the release of a posthumous memoir by Virginia Giuffre, who alleged that Andrew had sexually assaulted her as a teenager.

She wrote that Mountbatten-Windsor “believed that having sex with me was his birthright.”

Giuffre – who Mountbatten-Windsor claims never to have met – died by suicide in April at the age of 41. Andrew has repeatedly denied all allegations against him.

The former prince sought to end the renewed scrutiny of his conduct by relinquishing use of his titles. But his moves did little to stem the flow of negative headlines.

That led to Charles’ extraordinary decision to strip Andrew of his royal titles and evict him from the royal estate in Windsor – the British monarch’s most dramatic attempt to quell the scandal over the disgraced former prince’s links to Epstein.

The late Queen Elizabeth II had granted Mountbatten-Windsor, the third of her four children, the right to live in the lodge, which is officially owned by the Crown Estate.

Andrew named in latest Epstein files

The news of the former prince’s move comes as the latest trove of Epstein files adds further pressure on the disgraced royal.

In the latest files, three undated photos appear to show the former prince kneeling over what appears to be a woman or girl who is lying fully clothed and supine on the floor. Her face has been redacted.

In two photos, Mountbatten-Windsor touches her stomach and waist; in a third, he looks at the camera while on all fours, leaning over her body.

It is unclear when or where the images were taken; no captions or context for the photographs were provided with the document release.

Also in the documents is an email exchange between Epstein and Mountbatten-Windsor in August 2010, in which the financier invites the royal to meet a “friend” — whose name was redacted — for dinner in London.

Mountbatten-Windsor replied that he would be “delighted to see her” and told Epstein to pass on his contact details. Epstein then describes the woman as a 26-year-old Russian who is “clevere (sic) beautiful, trustworthy,” and confirms that she has Mountbatten-Windsor’s email.

The royal family has not issued a statement on the latest revelations. Neither the photographs nor the email messages suggest any wrongdoing.

Meanwhile, Thames Valley Police said Tuesday that it’s aware of “reports about a woman said to have been taken to an address in Windsor in 2010 for sexual purposes.” The force said it’s assessing the information. It is unclear if police are referring to the same woman referenced in the email exchange.

In November, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee requested that Mountbatten-Windsor come to Washington to give evidence as part of the panel’s investigation into Epstein. Although Mountbatten-Windsor did not respond to the request at the time, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday urged the former prince to submit himself to questioning.

US Vice President JD Vance told London’s Daily Mail newspaper on Tuesday that he is “certainly open to” Mountbatten-Windsor testifying before US lawmakers over his friendship with Epstein.

At a summit in Dubai on Tuesday, Prince Edward, the brother of King Charles and Mountbatten-Windsor, told CNN, “It’s all really important always to remember the victims.” He did not comment further.

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CNN’s Lauren Said-Moorhouse, Billy Stockwell, Lauren Kent, Christian Edwards and Lianne Kolirin contributed reporting.