King Charles Urged to Keep Andrew at Wood Farm — and Avoid His Biggest Mistake Yet
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's scandalous ties to Jeffrey Epstein were swept under the rug until the release of the Epstein files forced King Charles's hand. After a fresh tranche of emails painted the former Prince in a shady light, the King hastened his relocation, temporarily banishing his brother to Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate this month. In the wake of the recent events, royal expert Tom Skyes believes there's good reason for Charles to put a pause on his brother's permanent transfer to Marsh Farm, as renovations stall.
In an article on his Substack, Skyes pointed out that Mountbatten-Windsor's nonchalant horse riding and waving to the public was allegedly the final straw for Charles to expedite his relocation. He penned, "Now, no sooner had Andrew arrived at his 'stopgap' new home, Wood Farm, than briefing began that it might prove very hard to get him out again and into Marsh Farm, the smaller house nearby which is supposed to be his permanent home. I am told that building work at Marsh Farm appears to have stalled." Noting how constantly moving the former Duke from house to house has repeatedly drawn more attention, he opined, "It was Charles who first turned Andrew's housing arrangements into a rolling national story by endlessly publicizing in the newspapers how he wanted him out of Royal Lodge."
The royal expert argues that the King's apparent failure tackle his brother's issue before has been an "abject lesson in bad news management." "My suggestion to Charles would be to leave him [Andrew] at Wood Farm and be done, but just as he made Royal Lodge a story two or three years ago by endlessly briefing the press that Andrew had to move out, Charles is once again turning his brother's living arrangements into front-page news." Skyes also suggested that Charles and Prince William reportedly clashed over differing views on accommodating 'renegade members' of their family.
In the wake of the recent allegations, friends of Charles also told Skyes that the King reportedly views the potential police probe into his brother as a 'nightmare.' They said, "If he [Andrew] ends up in court, it's only going to get worse. He could inflict enormous reputational damage on the institution." The Palace's official line is that the former Prince should 'consult his conscience' and decide whether to cooperate with US authorities, which, according to Skyes, is a deliberately non-committal workaround.
As for Mountbatten-Windsor's hasty relocation, he moved out on February 2 and relocated to the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. According to the BBC, he left Royal Lodge quietly in the night that marks the beginning of what many have described as a royal exile. He is said to be temporarily staying at Wood Farm, the late Prince Philip's former home, while renovations are completed on a more modest long-term residence at Marsh Farm. However, he is 'expected to return' to Windsor over the next few weeks to collect his remaining belongings.