Prince Andrew’s ‘Lonely’ Life at Royal Lodge Involves ‘Strange Hobbies’ That Keep Him Busy
Once a man of duty, Prince Andrew now passes his days in quiet retreat, with odd hobbies keeping him mostly indoors.
For a man once at the center of royal life, Prince Andrew now spends his days in quiet isolation. The 65-year-old Prince has withdrawn almost entirely from public view as new allegations surface about his past ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The October 21 release of Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice, has brought renewed attention to their association and reignited a wave of backlash that haunts the former Duke.
According to The Mirror, Andrew has "holed himself up" at Royal Lodge since the latest revelations dropped, including claims that he allegedly had a ‘code name’ within Epstein's circle to conceal his identity. The publication reports that he has "shut himself off from the outside world" inside the sprawling Windsor home where he continues to live with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson. Though divorced since 1996, the two remain under the same roof at the 30-room mansion. Here, the vast layout allows them to live apart yet close. However, with recent reports that they have agreed to leave Royal Lodge, it remains unclear where they will seek refuge next.
As for how Andrew passes his time, The Sun reports that his days revolve around video games and daytime television. A friend told the outlet, "He loves games like Call of Duty, war games with helicopters. He certainly doesn’t play FIFA; he’s got no interest in football. He really enjoys war films and watching golf on TV." Royal biographer Ingrid Seward added that a visitor who recently called on the couple described that "the Prince was in a huge sitting room... just lying there on a massive sofa watching TV on the biggest screen my friend had ever seen. It seemed to take up the whole of a wall."
Not all of his pastimes keep him indoors. Royal correspondent Richard Kay revealed, as per Marie Claire, that the former Duke of York, once a Royal Navy helicopter pilot during the Falklands War, has developed a fascination with plane-spotting. "According to a visitor to Royal Lodge, the Prince has become obsessed by the app beloved of plane-spotter nerds," Kay wrote, adding that it allows him "to watch flights landing and taking off at airports all over the globe." For the Prince, the hobby is a quick link to his former service years, which he surely misses.
Andrew’s retreat did not begin with this latest storm of scrutiny. He has kept largely out of sight for several years, with his last public appearance taking place on September 16, at the Requiem Mass for Katherine, Duchess of Kent. Beyond that, he has rarely left the Windsor Estate, venturing out only for quiet drives or twice-weekly horseback rides. Since Queen Elizabeth II’s passing in 2022, his isolation has deepened. “His life is very empty,” Seward observed, adding, "He’s very lonely and I think he’s probably extremely bored." Once a regular visitor for tea with his mother at Windsor Castle, the Prince now finds himself almost alone.
