Andrew Mountbatten Windsor seems to be making a move. The disgraced younger sibling of the King appears to be gearing up to finally relocate to his new residence, Marsh Farm. Since his eviction from Royal Lodge, Andrew has been residing at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate, awaiting renovations at his future home. These improvements include the erection of a tall security fence, landscaping, new carpeting, and a Sky TV dish. On Tuesday, three large moving vans were spotted arriving at Marsh Farm.
All the vehicles belonged to Gander and White, a company known for transporting fine art and holding a royal warrant. The firm provides a specialized service that encompasses packing, transporting, and installing fine art pieces for their clientele – ranging from art dealers and auction houses to private collectors and museums.
Whilst it’s not entirely clear what the vans were carrying, several valuable items from the Royal Collection Trust were previously known to be displayed in Andrew’s former 30-room Windsor home. Some of these were part of the Royal Family’s private collection, and others were acquisitions made by the ex-prince’s grandmother, the Queen Mother, who resided at Royal Lodge prior to him.
The Royal Lodge, where Andrew has been residing for years (Image: undefined)
However, other pieces were held by the Royal Collection Trust, which manages the Royal Collection – a selection of artifacts and paintings curated by monarchs throughout the centuries. Pieces from the Royal Collection Trust are spread across royal exhibitions, as well as being used to furnish royal residences.
According to the Times, these pieces in Royal Lodge were to be returned to the Trust after Andrew was stripped of his titles. Pieces understood to have adorned the walls of his previous home included a 19th century oil painting called Eugenie, Empress of the French and wife of Napoleon III, by Charles Édouard Boutibonne.
Nevertheless, it appears Andrew made the decision to transport plenty of artwork to Marsh Farm with him. It won’t come as a huge surprise to those who know Andrew, who has been described as having an extraordinary level of entitlement.
Renovations are being completed on Marsh Farm in Norfolk, where Andrew will be moving to (Image: UK Press via Getty)
Over the years there have been countless stories about the disgraced royal’s behavior behind closed doors, with anecdotes about his alleged rudeness and his acute lack of self awareness. Much of his reported churlishness has been apparent in recent months.
Andrew is said to have been appalled that ‘poky’ Marsh Farm only has five bedrooms; in contrast, Royal Lodge has seven bedrooms within the main 30-room mansion. “He really didn’t want Marsh Farm,” an insider told the Mail. “He won’t have lived anywhere that small since he left his apartment at Buckingham Palace.”
Consequently, clearing out Royal Lodge – a task largely delegated to his staff following his abrupt eviction – would have been a monumental undertaking. Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson resided there for two decades, amassing a significant amount of belongings.
Andrew’s most cherished items had already been packed before the move (Image: Getty)
Moreover, Sarah’s penchant for shopping meant that in the weeks leading up to their eviction, a massive pile of often unopened Amazon packages had accumulated, further complicating the downsizing process.
Andrew’s most cherished items had already been packed prior to the move – his notably vast teddy bear collection. Charlotte Briggs, a former staff member, revealed that the scandal-ridden royal owned 72 in total, which had to be arranged in size order and precisely positioned on his bed.
She shared with the Sun: “As soon as I got the job, I was told about the teddies, and it was drilled into me how he wanted them. I even had a day’s training. Everything had to be just right. It was so peculiar.” The plush toys have now been securely stored – except for one. Andrew is reported to have kept a soft monkey.
Royal Lodge was recently searched by police amid Andrew’s arrest (Image: Getty)
The rest are thought to be housed in a warehouse in south London, where the majority of his possessions are being stored under 24-hour guard.
Andrew is also reported to be dissatisfied with his lack of staff – despite the fact he won’t have the space, nor presumably, the financial resources to afford them. It’s been reported that his brother the King has offered him a Sandringham cleaner, groundsman and cook on an ad hoc basis – but that “hasn’t gone down well.”
In reality, Andrew might have struggled to recruit staff anyway given reports that he frequently loses his temper and has made unusual requests of royal employees. As the second – and apparent favorite – son of the late Queen, Andrew developed a taste for the finer things in life, and has clearly enjoyed the numerous privileges and status afforded to him by his birth. Indeed, he is said to be in denial about his new non-royal reality.
Andrew reportedly continued to ask staff at Royal Lodge to address him as HRH despite being stripped of his titles (Image: Getty)
He reportedly continued to require staff at his Royal Lodge home to address him as “Your Royal Highness” (HRH) and demanded bows or curtsies – despite having lost his royal titles. Rob Shuter’s #ShuterScoop reported at the time that actually “nothing has changed inside Royal Lodge.”
A household insider said: “The butler still says Your Royal Highness, and the staff still bow. Andrew’s made it clear – palace rules don’t apply inside his walls. He insists it’s his birthright – not something the King can erase.”
This mirrors remarks in Andrew Lownie’s book, Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, where he disclosed that royal staff were directed to bow for Andrew whenever he entered a room. If anyone forgot, he would reportedly say, “Let’s try that again,” before exiting the room only to reenter.
Lownie suggests that Andrew’s stance was that his staff were “there to serve and not to question his actions”. He is accused of making peculiar demands of royal employees, and would allegedly ‘scream and shout’ if they were not executed.
Lownie also interviewed one of the Queen Mother’s former equerries, Colin Burgess, who remembered, “I saw Andrew about once a month, when he came to visit Clarence House, and he would speak to the staff, including me, as an officer addresses his subordinates. He would make statements like: ‘I want this done and I want it done now,’ or ‘Have that done by such and such a time.’ I recall him always saying ‘Do it!’ which became somewhat of a catchphrase.”
This sharply contrasted with how the equerry was treated by the Queen Mother or King Charles, who viewed staff as “human beings”, he stated. Lowrie further claimed that Andrew demanded maids in his residence ascend four flights of stairs just to open his curtains for him in the morning – whilst he lay right next to them. An insider alleged: “His bedtime habits as a single man left a lot to be desired, and a collection of scrunched-up, soiled tissues usually lay scattered around the bed each morning for staff to collect after they had made his bed.”
In another instance, Andrew reportedly summoned a television technician to his royal residence in the wee hours, demanding an explanation on how the remote functioned. Andrew is also said to have dismissed a staff member because he “couldn’t bear” to see a mole on his face, and arranged for the removal of another employee due to his nylon tie, as per royal expert Tom Quinn.
Yes Ma’am: The Secret Life of Royal Servants provides accounts from royal servants over the years. Multiple ex-staffers, described the royal as “bossy” and prone to “act like a classic school bully.”
One former servant shared: “Andrew always behaved as if he was frustrated about not being the first-born and therefore destined to become king. This frustration made him a bit of a bully in private, I think. If he liked a member of his staff, he could be very loyal and supportive, but he couldn’t resist being imperious and bossy and bad-tempered if anything went wrong or wasn’t done exactly to his liking.”
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