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Andrew Mountbatten Windsor will not have to leave Royal Lodge immediately and could move to Sandringham as late as the new year, the BBC understands.
On Thursday, King Charles stripped his younger brother of his titles and honours, and moved to force him out of his Windsor mansion. He will be moving to a property on the King’s Norfolk estate, paid for by the monarch.
The dramatic statement came after months of pressure over Andrew’s private life, as his ties to disgraced paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein continued to dog the royals. Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, the government has said it had no plans to pass a law to formally remove Andrew from the line of succession.
Andrew remains eighth in line to the throne, the only significant position he still holds – but there have been calls to bring in legislation to stop any chance of him becoming King.
It would take an act of Parliament to formally remove him which would be complex and would need to be agreed with all the Commonwealth realms, including Australia and Canada.
Buckingham Palace has said Andrew’s move from Royal Lodge in Windsor to Sandringham will take place “as soon as possible and practicable”.
But according to royal sources, a delay in Andrew moving until the new year would avoid the embarrassment of him being in Sandringham at Christmas – where the Royal Family traditionally gathers for the festive season.
Andrew will move to an undisclosed property on the privately-owned estate, with the accommodation funded by the King who will also make private financial provisions for his brother.
Sandringham was bought in 1862 by the then Prince of Wales, who later became Edward VII, as a private country retreat.
The historic, sprawling estate spans approximately 31 sq miles (80 sq km) of gardens – making it around the same size as Nottingham or Brighton and Hove.
On Friday, fresh court documents were published in the US showing that Andrew said in 2010 it would be “good to catch up in person” with Epstein, after the convicted sex offender was released from prison for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
In an email dated 15 April 2010, Epstein suggested the then-prince should meet American banker Jes Staley, which Andrew said he was not able to do due to his schedule.
“I have no immediate plans to drop by New York but I think I should at some stage soon,” he told Epstein.
“I’ll look and see if I can make a couple of days before the summer.
“It would be good to catch up in person.”
The pair were later pictured together in Central Park in New York in December 2010, in a meeting that Andrew later claimed was to break off their friendship.
In an interview with BBC Newsnight, Democrat Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi called on the former Duke of York to “come clean” in regards to his dealings with Epstein, saying he would like to see Andrew testify before Congress.
Fellow Democrat Stephen Lynch echoed the sentiment, and told the BBC that Andrew’s perspective “might be helpful in getting justice for these survivors”.
He added that the House Oversight Committee would be unable to subpoena Andrew “as the situation stands”, but urged him to consider testifying voluntarily.
It is understood the move to remove Andrew’s titles was taken by the King in light of the serious lapses of judgement his brother made, and that his decision was supported by the wider Royal Family.
The public also seems to back the decision – according to a YouGov poll published on Thursday, 79% of people backed taking away the title and 53% thought the King had now done all that he could.
There were 58% who thought this response should have come sooner, with concerns that the royals had been too slow to take action over the links to Jeffrey Epstein.
Sir Keir Starmer also “fully supports” the Palace’s decision, Downing Street said, and echoed Buckingham Palace’s statement of support for Epstein’s victims.
Emily Michot/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
Virginia Giuffre holds a photo of herself as a teenager, when she says she was abused by Jeffrey Epstein
The controversy around Andrew has been rumbling on for years, but came to a head when he was accused by Virginia Giuffre of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager.
Andrew has strenuously denied the allegations.
In 2022 he paid millions to settle a civil case with her, despite insisting he did not remember meeting her.
Virginia Giuffre’s family said she had “brought down a prince” following the King’s decision.
Her brother Sky Roberts called for Andrew to be “investigated” and said the King’s decision to remove his titles was “not enough, in the sense that he’s still walking around a free man”.
“I mean, let’s not be naive, that he’s not going to be living on the side of the road here, he’s still in a very, let’s say, cushy spot… He should be investigated, let’s put it that way,” he told Sky News.
The UK trade minister Chris Bryant told the BBC Andrew should, if asked, go to the US to answer questions about the crimes of Epstein.
“I think that, just as with any ordinary member of the public, if there were requests from another jurisdiction of this kind, I would expect any decently minded person to comply with that request,” he said.
Gloria Allred, who has represented victims of Jeffrey Epstein, said Andrew losing his title and grand home was “long overdue” and “definitely welcome”.
“This is a man who should no longer walk with honour. He should be ashamed of himself,” the American lawyer said.
Ms Allred has long called for Andrew to speak to US law enforcement about his former friend Epstein “under oath” – something he has “declined” to do so far, she said.
The Metropolitan Police has previously said it is “actively” looking into media reports that Andrew tried to obtain personal information about his accuser Ms Giuffre through his police protection.
