Formerly Prince Andrew, the man now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has finally chosen to pack his bags and depart Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, Berkshire
00:47, 06 Feb 2026Updated 01:13, 06 Feb 2026
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been repeatedly humiliated in the latest Epstein files drop(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s latest behaviour has been described as “a masterclass in how not to play out a public scandal”.
The former duke, 65, has refused to lie low in the wake of controversy around his links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, instead brazenly going horse-riding in Windsor Great Park last month. Andrew, who lost his royal titles and honours in October last year, this week finally moved out of Royal Lodge as the latest tranche of Epstein files were released.
Royal expert Rebecca English criticised the former prince’s nonchalant attitude as deeply disrespectful to his alleged victims. She wrote: “Whether it be his ‘block-headed’ refusal to lie low for his last few weeks at Royal Lodge or his utter intransigence about even acknowledging the many victims of his good friend, Jeffrey Epstein, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s behaviour has been a masterclass in how not to play out a public scandal.
“He (Andrew) has even been seen gurning and waving brazenly from his car to passers-by (when he was horse-riding), in what was described to me as one of those moments ‘you just want to whack your head on the desk.'”
READ MORE: Major update in Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s Royal Lodge evictionREAD MORE: King Charles heckled over Andrew and Epstein scandal as he meets wellwishers
King Charles and Queen Camilla attended an engagement in Essex(Image: PA)
Charles and Camilla faced hecklers in the rain(Image: UK Press via Getty Images)
Buckingham Palace has chosen not to comment on recent developments. However, Andrew, who denies any wrongdoing in relation to his Epstein links, packed his bags and left 31-room Royal Lodge this week following criticism.
Writing for the Daily Mail, Ms English continued: “Courtiers, and indeed members of his own family, have watched aghast in recent days at the torrent of revelations emanating from the latest dump of Epstein Files out of the US.
“This has been exacerbated by Andrew’s pig-headed determination to keep to his daily routine (following a brief but ineffective ban from the royal stables at Windsor), preferring to stubbornly clip-clop past the ever-present photographers on his regular rides in the Berkshire countryside.”
Father-of-two Andrew is currently in temporary residence at Prince Philip’s old home, Wood Farm, until his new, relatively modest abode, Marsh Farm, is ready. It is hoped this will be complete by early April.
But the former RAF pilot remains a member of the Royal Family, despite being stripped of his titles. The recent controversy has put fresh strain on the Royal Family, with King Charles facing hecklers at an engagement on Thursday.
Charles and Queen Camilla held umbrellas as they walked in the Essex village of Dedham in the drizzle, with crowds gathered behind metal barriers to meet them after visiting a 15th-century pub. A man in the crowd, who was wearing a grey hat and holding a blue umbrella, shouted as the King was near him: “Charles, Charles, have you pressurised the police to start investigating Andrew?”