I would be thrilled to live in a warm, cosy cottage on the 20,000-acre Sandringham Estate, but then I’m not Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor … fortunately. Admittedly, any of us would happily spend the autumn of our life in a historic five-bedroom country pad – yet when you were once a prince, a duke and lived in the 31-room Royal Lodge mansion, it might feel something of a step down.
At Royal Lodge, on the Crown Estate in Windsor, Andrew boasted 28 staff including four chefs, three valets and two butlers – with five house managers as well as gardeners and housekeepers. In February he was quietly ordered out and moved to Wood Farm, in Sandringham, while staff renovated what will be his permanent new home – the nearby Marsh Farm, also on the King’s Norfolk estate.
It was at Wood Farm, near the village of Wolferton, on his 66th birthday on February 19 that Andrew was arrested by police on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He has vehemently denied all allegations made against him.
Wood Farm boasts impressive history; it was where Andrew’s late father Prince Philip chose as his primary home when he retired from public life in 2017.
It’s also where King George V and Queen Mary sent their youngest son, Prince John, who suffered from epilepsy, to live out of the public gaze in 1917.
Seeing out his days out of the public gaze – that’s just what Prince William and King Charles want for Andrew.
This week removal vans packed with Andrew’s items from storage, like paintings and furniture, have been snaking their way towards Marsh Farm.
Andrew will soon have to make a cottage switch now the renovation work is almost completed. He’s also dropped from 28 staff to just three. He will have to slum it down on the farm.
Fortunately for Andrew, the red-brick Marsh Farm has plenty of space and outbuildings and thanks to recent upgrades it has a nice high security fence and fresh broadband.
Carpets and flooring have been laid and furnishings installed as the place had been uninhabited for some time and was in dire need of repair.
But while Wood Farm looks quite charming, Marsh Farm is a bit less so. It looks bleaker – like the setting for a mysterious episode of Midsomer Murders.
It’s been widely reported that Andrew is non-plussed about living at Marsh Farm. Even the name is dreary. It’s like living in a house called ‘Boggy Hole’.
Last week more than 20 tankers were then seen transporting 150,000 gallons of liquid manure to the fields by the cottage for muck spreading.
When Andrew moves in he should go for a stroll and take a deep breath – that’s what his reputation smells like after his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew and Marsh Farm seem perfectly suited after all.