Where Is Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Reportedly Staying Following His High-Profile Arrest?
While international scrutiny intensified — including a provocative stunt at the Louvre in Paris — attention turned to where he had gone and what his life now looks like without the royal titles he once relied upon.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has retreated from public view following his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office, with new details emerging about where he is staying and the stripped-back life he is now leading.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor following the royal family's traditional Christmas Day service at St. Mary Magdalene Church on December 25, 2023, in Sandringham, eastern England. | Source: Getty Images
Days after Thursday's high-profile arrest at the Sandringham estate — and an 11-hour stint in custody at Aylsham police station in Norfolk — the 66-year-old was said to have spent the weekend out of sight and largely alone.
For now, Mountbatten-Windsor is understood to be based at Wood Farm, a secluded property on the Sandringham estate, where he is waiting for renovation works to be completed at nearby Marsh Farm, which is expected to become his longer-term home.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor at St. George's Chapel at the Easter Mattins Service on March 31, 2024, in England. | Source: Getty Images
The move marks a sharp change in circumstances. Once accustomed to a full household of aides, according to reports, the former Duke of York currently has only police and security officers nearby, along with his seven dogs — among them two corgis that belonged to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor at the traditional Easter Sunday Mattins Service at St. George's Chapel on April 20, 2025, in Windsor, England. | Source: Getty Images
Furthermore, the ex-prince — once believed to be Queen Elizabeth II's favourite child but now seen as her "blind spot" — has been told he will be assigned a cook and a general assistant, though those roles have yet to be filled.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor following King Charles III and Queen Camilla's coronation on May 6, 2023, in London, England. | Source: Getty Images
The shift in status has also created practical awkwardness. After King Charles III stripped him of his HRH, prince, and duke titles last year amid renewed scrutiny of his links to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, staff reportedly sought guidance on how to address him.
Melania Trump, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Gwendolyn Beck, and Jeffrey Epstein at a party at the Mar-a-Lago club on February 12, 2000, in Palm Beach, Florida. | Source: Getty Images
One source said employees were instructed that he should still be called "Sir," adding that the pared-down domestic support amounted to "a climbdown to the luxury he was previously afforded."
The tension around staffing has been evident for weeks, as it was previously reported that some royal staff balked at being assigned to him after his move to Sandringham earlier this month, and were told they could decline the role.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor during the ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall on September 14, 2022, in London, England. | Source: Getty Images
His relocation to Sandringham followed a fraught departure from Royal Lodge earlier this month. According to an insider, Mountbatten-Windsor resisted leaving and at one point protested. A royal insider claimed:
"He refused to leave or take any responsibility. When he was told to get out he was so arrogant and deluded he repeatedly shouted, 'But I'm the Queen's second son, you can't do this to me.'"
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor at a commemoration service at Manchester Cathedral marking the 100th anniversary since the start of the Battle of the Somme on July 1, 2016, in England. | Source: Getty Images
Meanwhile, the fallout has spread beyond Britain. On Sunday, activists from the political campaign group Everyone Hates Elon affixed a Reuters photograph of Mountbatten-Windsor — taken by Phil Noble as he was driven from a police station — to a wall inside the Louvre in Paris.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor at the funeral service of Patricia Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, at St. Paul's Church on June 27, 2017, in London, England. | Source: Getty Images
Together, the developments underscore how international attention surrounding the arrest has intensified, even as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor remains out of public view on the Norfolk estate.