A white removal van was photographed pulling up to the gates of Royal Lodge on Wednesday morning, marking the beginning of the process to transport Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's possessions to Norfolk.
The disgraced former prince departed the Windsor mansion on Monday evening, leaving his home of more than two decades earlier than anticipated.
He has reportedly taken up temporary residence at Wood Farm Cottage on the Sandringham Estate whilst renovation work continues at Marsh Farm, which will become his permanent home.
The 30-room Grade II listed property, which dates back to the 19th century, has been Andrew's residence since 2003, when he took over following the death of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
A removal van was seen at Royal Lodge on Wednesday
|REUTERS
Andrew had been due to vacate Royal Lodge in the coming weeks, but the timeline appeared to be dramatically accelerated after the US Department of Justice released a fresh batch of Epstein files on Friday.
The latest tranche contained hundreds of previously unseen details, including an image that appeared to depict Andrew positioned on all fours above a clothed woman.
Buckingham Palace has not commented on whether the updated move was in response to the latest release of Epstein files.
Compounding matters, Andrew had continued appearing in public around the Windsor Estate in recent days. He was photographed waving and smiling at onlookers despite the mounting controversy.
To avoid being seen, the former prince chose to leave under the cover of darkness on Monday night.
A friend of Andrew told the Sun: "He had planned to cling on at Royal Lodge a little longer but with the latest batch of Epstein files it was made clear to him that it was time to go."
Andrew is only expected back at Royal Lodge to collect his remaining belongings
|REUTERS
The source added: "Leaving was so humiliating for him that he chose to do it under the cover of darkness. He didn't want to have a big emotional goodbye even though Royal Lodge is a place where he had so many family memories."
The friend also claimed that Andrew's recent behaviour had caused frustration within royal circles: "The fact he's been seen driving around Windsor laughing and looking like he hasn't a care in the world hasn't gone down well with the Royal Household."
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It is understood that the King had long sought to remove his brother from the prestigious property, viewing the optics of a disgraced figure residing in such grandeur as problematic, but Andrew's watertight lease with the Crown Estate had prevented any earlier action.
Last autumn, it was announced that Andrew and his former wife, Sarah Ferguson, would surrender the lease and leave Royal Lodge, with the same statement confirming the formal removal of his princely title.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was handed notice on his Grade II mansion back in October
| GETTYAndrew originally paid £1million for the lease and invested a further £7.5million in refurbishments, with terms requiring only a peppercorn rent.
His connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein faced renewed scrutiny following Virginia Giuffre's posthumous memoir last year.
Andrew, who settled financially with Ms Giuffre in 2022 without admitting liability, has consistently and strenuously denied all wrongdoing.
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