Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is set to leave the Grade II-listed mansion Royal Lodge as he prepares to move to a "shoebox-sized" temporary accommodation.
The former prince is due to vacate Royal Lodge in the New Year, with the property he will eventually move to currently under extensive renovation in preparation for his arrival.
Sources have told The Mail on Sunday the renovated property may not be ready for a long time, meaning Andrew will have to stay in the temporary spot.
Around "80 per cent" of the former duke's belongings must go, sources suggest, and some anterooms are believed to be piled to the ceiling with documents and photographs.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is preparing to leave Royal Lodge | GETTYTRENDING
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"A lorry has been and gone under the cover of darkness," a source said..
It continued: "Andrew is going to a shoebox-sized house, compared to Royal Lodge, so a lot of the things that were taken are going into a storage unit.
"The clutter at Royal Lodge is turning what should be a straightforward move into a months-long, room-by-room excavation.
"It's all going to be painfully slow, especially with refurbishment work to complete at the other end. These aren't the kind of belongings you can sweep into a skip. Even if Andrew wanted to move tomorrow, he couldn't."
A source said that 'Andrew is going to a shoebox-sized house'
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Friends of the former Duke of York suggested it is unlikely he will remain in Norfolk full-time, saying a move to the Middle East could be on the cards.
Several believe that Bahrain is a desired destination for Andrew in the long term.
Inventory of Andrew's house is starting to be moved under the "cover of darkness" in preparation for his departure.
A lorry belonging to the Royal Household is believed to have taken the first few items last week to a Crown Estate storage facility in Windsor.
The former duke is set to leave Royal Lodge in the New Year
| REUTERSThe news follows claims against Andrew being dropped on December 13, after he was accused of asking his taxpayer-funded bodyguard to dig up dirt on Virginia Giuffre.
In October, it was revealed Andrew passed Ms Giuffre's date of birth and social security number to his Scotland Yard guard in 2011.
However, Central Specialist Crime Commander Ella Marriott said the force would not launch an investigation after assessing the claims.
With the recent reports suggesting the former prince asked his "Met Police close protection officer to carry out checks on Ms Giuffre in 2011", the force carried out a "further assessment".
Friends of the former Duke of York suggested that it is unlikely he will remain in Norfolk full-time
| GETTYCommander Marriott can confirm that the "assessment has not revealed any additional evidence of criminal acts or misconduct".
Ms Giuffre's family said the decision has left them "deeply disappointed".
In a statement, they said: "We are deeply disappointed that the Metropolitan Police have dropped their investigation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor without explanation and without speaking with us, Virginia's family.
"We emailed with a detective from the Metropolitan Police yesterday, Friday, December 12, who gave us no indication that this announcement was imminent. Indeed, he asked us if we had any evidence we would like to present; we had not yet replied.
"With the Epstein files about to be released by Congress since the passage of the Epstein Transparency Act, we are surprised that the Metropolitan Police didn't wait to see what further evidence might appear. While we have hailed the UK's overall handling of the case of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor previously, today we feel justice has not been served.
"We continue to challenge the system that protects abusers, especially as more evidence comes to light that can hold people accountable. Our sister Virginia and all survivors are owed this much."
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