Andrew Told to Live Simply at Sandringham — But Fine Art Movers Are at His Door!
The disgraced Prince was to live a frugal life at Marsh Farm, a significant step down from Royal Lodge. But Andrew still seems attached to his old royal perks.
The former Duke and Prince, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, is currently preparing to settle in Marsh Farm, a five-bedroom property on the Sandringham estate that is, by any royal standard, a significant step down, especially given that he was putting up at Royal Lodge, a 30-room property for over 2 decades. But the scene outside his house does not look like much of a compromise. Carpet fitters. Flooring specialists. CCTV installation. A new security fence. Sky TV. And, perhaps most significantly, a transport firm specializing in the movement of fine art. For a man who has been told in no uncertain terms to embrace frugality, the optics don’t look ideal here.
The pressure on Mountbatten-Windsor to scale back is real and is coming from the apex itself. Buckingham Palace, acutely aware that public patience for the former Prince is running on fumes, is understood to be monitoring the situation closely. "There is acute awareness that public patience and sympathy with Andrew will be minimal and any sign that he is living in the lap of luxury will not play well," one formal royal aide told the i Paper.
The Palace’s anxiety is, of course, unambiguous. The case would have been different had Mountbatten-Windsor been a private citizen, but the way his fall from grace was documented in the public domain, my media and subjects of the monarchy alike, every cashmere cushion that crosses the threshold of Marsh Farm risks becoming a tabloid front page. The fall has been a steep one. Mountbatten-Windsor was forced to vacate Royal Lodge — for which he had paid a peppercorn rent that would have made even the most generous landlord wince — after he was arrested in February, on the allegations of ‘misconduct in public office.’
King Charles, meanwhile, is said to be quietly funding his brother's new arrangements from his own private income — pointedly, not from the Sovereign Grant provided by taxpayers. The exact sums involved remain unclear, but those close to proceedings suggest the budget is unlikely to be lavish. "Whatever happens at Sandringham is being met by the King, and a budget will have been agreed," the former aide said. "I would not expect that budget to be especially generous." The question of whether any of this will translate into a convincing display of modesty invites skepticism.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams, commenting on the same, said, "The Palace will be keen to project an image of Mountbatten-Windsor as someone who 'doesn't have many staff, and the farmhouse isn't too luxurious, and he isn't too pampered." Whether Mountbatten-Windsor himself is capable of sustaining that impression is quite another matter. "The public won't like the idea of a cushy lifestyle that he doesn't deserve," Fitzwilliams said. "It would be wise for him to live a simpler life. It would be wise if there were an impression of as much frugality as possible. But you're dealing with someone who is entitled. I don't think it's possible for someone like that to even pretend to live in a simpler way."
