King orders Prince Andrew out as aides race to erase all trace of disgraced royal from Windsor home
The King has given an order to former prince Andrew which has left aides in a race against time to remove any trace of the disgraced ex-royal.
The King commanded his shamed brother to leave the Windsor home he had lived in for over 20 years, paying a peppercorn rent after signing an initial lease worth £7.5 million in 2002. Andrew denies any wrongdoing.
Royal aides have in the past few days been clearing out the remaining possessions from Royal Lodge, including the staff quarters where Andrew was waited on night and day by royal flunkies.
A number of skips have been loaded and removed from the estate, with removal vans seen coming and going. Staff have also been setting fire to further unwanted belongings of their own.
One source said: “Andrew was told everything has to be out and absolutely nothing was to be left behind. He hasn’t been back to collect anything, leaving staff to clear everything by the weekend, and we’ve been told no trace of the former occupants or staff should remain.”
Palace sources insisted the burning of furniture and other items on the estate belonged to Andrew’s former staff. The once busy Royal Lodge estate appeared largely deserted last week. Guards were not seen staffing the gatehouse at the entrance to Windsor Great Park, close to the gates of the disgraced royal’s former home.
Aerial photos showed a skip, full to the brim, close to the rear of the 30-room royal residence. Another yellow-colored skip was also visible at the front of the estate, behind the front gates.
It was placed outside the quarters of some of Andrew’s former servants, including one remaining staff member who formerly worked for the disgraced royal.
On Tuesday, the man, understood to be one of Andrew’s former valets, was seen burning belongings, including furniture, on the grounds of the Royal Lodge estate.
On Wednesday, removal men were seen loading items, including a mattress, into two vans outside the man’s home. The removals firm was JDL, which according to its website specializes in Television and Film Transport.
Online testimonials show the company previously worked on Netflix show The Crown, which charts the lives of members of the modern Royal family, including Andrew. Our source added: "The estate is like a ghost town as so many staff have left and it’s now pretty much empty.”
"Who knows when it will be done up as lots of building work is needed to bring it up to its former glory, like when the Queen Mother was in residence."
Andrew’s exit from Royal Lodge - along with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson who lived with him rent-free for much of the last two decades - cements his spectacular fall from grace.
The King has stripped away his round-the-clock security as well as his personal allowance. He will no longer have a valet at his disposal or be lavished with taxpayer cash, as he was throughout his pampered life.
After finally having his titles and honors stripped away by the King last October, he was driven away from Windsor on Monday, February 2, and taken 132 miles away to Sandringham under the cover of darkness to avoid being seen.
Technology & Business Editor
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