The ‘Tragic’ Reality of Andrew’s Life Behind Royal Lodge’s Closed Doors: ‘A Bit of a Couch Potato’

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's diary was dictated by ribbons to cut, regiments to inspect, and aircraft to board, but now he finds himself facing the most unfamiliar of challenges: empty time. Exiled from public life and stripped of the roles that once defined him, the former Duke of York is said to be living a quiet, constricted existence at Royal Lodge—an existence that royal commentators have described, without sentimentality, as tragic in its own way.

The fall has been swift and definitive. In October, Mountbatten-Windsor agreed to relinquish his title as the Duke of York. Within a fortnight, King Charles took the matter further, removing his princely status and dukedom altogether. For the first time since birth, Mountbatten-Windsor was rendered a commoner. Long before that formal reckoning, Queen Elizabeth II had already instructed him in 2020 to stop using the HRH style, effectively drawing a line under his public-facing royal life. 

Now 65, Mountbatten-Windsor’s world has shrunk dramatically. According to those who track the monarchy closely, he has largely vanished from public view, spending most of his days inside the gated quietness of Royal Lodge. Speaking on Royal Confidential, The Sun’s royal editor Matt Wilkinson voiced that curiosity aloud. “It also makes me wonder what he's actually doing. We only ever see him horse-riding. There was a long article in the Telegraph this week, my colleague Hannah wrote a really good piece asking what he actually does. I think she described him as a bit of a couch potato, sitting at Royal Lodge watching television,” Wilkinson said, per The Mirror. 

Shooting, long a staple pastime for senior royals, is reportedly no longer available to him. “I think he used to watch flights, tracking them on flight radar. What does he do now if he can't go shooting?” Wilkinson added, pointing out how even the smaller rituals of Andrew’s former routine have fallen away.

Simon Vigar, royal correspondent for Five News, framed Mountbatten-Windsor’s present circumstances as an existence defined by surplus hours rather than scarcity. Describing the situation as leaving him with 'lots of time to fill,' Vigar acknowledged that sympathy may be in short supply, but argued that the human reality is still worth noting. “There is obviously an element of tragedy. I don't expect people to feel sympathetic for him, but there is a tragic element to this,” he said.

Vigar pointed to the contrast with Andrew’s past social standing. “In happier days, he was known as the Duke of Golf. I'm not sure how many golf clubs he's a member of anymore. But it’s a lot of time to fill.” According to Vigar, that contraction extends beyond the palace gates, with some private clubs reportedly removing Mountbatten-Windsor’s name from their membership rolls altogether. “People just want to be dissociated from him,” he said.

The Telegraph paints a similarly constrained picture of Mountbatten-Windsor’s routine - horse-riding, the occasional round of golf, watching television, and little else. He reportedly does not drink alcohol or smoke and is rarely seen dining out, reinforcing the impression of a man living inwardly, if not exactly reflectively.