King Charles did not see his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, despite the pair recently staying within walking distance of each other on the Sandringham estate, sources have claimed.
The monarch is understood to have taken a break at Wood Farm following his successful State Visit to the United States last week.
Meanwhile, Mr Mountbatten-Windsor, 66, has been residing at the refurbished Marsh Farm since relocating there on Easter Monday.
Though barely half a mile and a single field separate the two properties near Wolferton village, the brothers did not meet.
The royal rift appears to have deepened as King Charles and Andrew avoid meeting at Sandringham
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King Charles, 77, is continuing his duties meeting world leaders, while Mr Mountbatten-Windsor lives in exile, stripped of all royal titles.
His former home, Royal Lodge in Windsor, is understood to have remained unoccupied months after the former duke was compelled to vacate it in February.
A source told the Mail: “Andrew feels that his departure from Royal Lodge was unnecessarily hasty.
“From his perspective, it was all done to appease the baying media and didn’t need to be carried out in such a rush before his new accommodation at Marsh Farm was ready.
Queen Camilla, King Charles, Donald Trump and Melania Trump pictured at the State Dinner | REUTERS
“The fact that no one else had taken occupancy of Royal Lodge is the proof of that.”
The source further claimed that King Charles is “really rubbing salt into the wounds by continuing to blank Andrew” while staying just a 10-minute walk away.
King Charles earned widespread acclaim for his deft handling of President Donald Trump during last week’s transatlantic visit.
Meanwhile, Mr Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on February 19 on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Andrew was arrested and released under investigation on February 19 | REUTERS
Prince Edward and Andrew are the King’s younger brothers
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He was released on investigation later that evening. Mr Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Prince Edward visited his older brother at his Sandringham bolthole last month in what royal sources described as a “brotherly welfare check.”
The 62-year-old’s trip marked the first occasion any member of the Royal Family had seen Mr Mountbatten-Windsor since his Norfolk exile began.
Sources close to Edward describe him as “deeply unsettled” in recent weeks, troubled both by the allegations surrounding his elder brother and by concerns for Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s mental and physical condition as the police inquiry proceeds.