The King will offer Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor a temporary home at Sandringham while a more permanent one is prepared for him on the Norfolk estate, it is understood.
The move is part of a plan to speed up the former duke’s relocation from Royal Lodge in Windsor, the Grade II listed mansion on which he has paid a peppercorn rent for two decades, to more modest accommodation at Sandringham.
No details are known about the temporary accommodation, but other properties on the estate include Wood Farm, where Andrew’s father, Prince Philip, lived before his death, and York Cottage.
A source said they hoped Andrew would move to Sandringham by Easter. Others predicted the offer of an interim home would speed up the relocation and Andrew would leave Windsor before his 66th birthday on February 19.
Work has begun to prepare Marsh Farm, a property on the Sandringham estate that is expected to be a permanent base for Andrew. On Wednesday construction workers were seen at the house, which is in need of renovation.
It is understood that the property, which has been vacant for some time, will require updating, particularly its security features. Six-foot wooden fences are being installed, along with a CCTV system.
A no-fly zone restriction around Sandringham, which bans drones, was extended in December to cover Marsh Farm, two miles from the main house.
The process of removing Andrew from Royal Lodge, which had been home to the late Queen Mother, has taken about two years. In 2024 he refused advice to move out and friends of the King said: “It can be done tidily or untidily. It can be done with grace and dignity or it can be thrust upon him.”
• Inside the siege of Royal Lodge: how Andrew was finally defeated
Another source said the King’s patience had “worn thin” with the brother 11 years his junior.
In September, the King removed his financial support of Andrew, who had to find an estimated £3 million a year to fund his security after his taxpayer-funded police detail was taken away.
Still Andrew refused to move and is understood to have told the keeper of the privy purse at the time that he had sufficient funds from bona fide sources to maintain his expensive lifestyle.
Engineers fit broadband at the property, which has been vacant for some time
BRUCE BENNETT
After more revelations in October about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, the late paedophile, the King stripped Andrew of his titles and status and forced him to move out of the property that has been his home for two decades.
In November Andrew gave notice of his departure to the Crown Estate, the landlord of Royal Lodge. He has until October to move out, although sources have said the Palace wants it to happen sooner rather than later.
A source told The Sun: “The snow or rain hasn’t delayed the work on Marsh Farm but it still needs a lot of attention to make it habitable. But one thing for sure is that it is a lot, lot smaller and less luxurious than Royal Lodge.”
Sarah Ferguson, Andrew’s former wife, who lived with him at Royal Lodge, is understood to be house-hunting separately in the Windsor area.
Neither Sarah nor Andrew were invited to join the royal family at Christmas, although their daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie were seen joining other members of the family on Christmas Day.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment.