While disgraced former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor counts down until his inevitable eviction from the Royal Lodge after being ordered out by his brother King Charles, one royal expert believes the former Duke of York is "delaying as a strategy".
Andrew was stripped of his royal titles and kicked out of the 30-room mansion on the Windsor estate after revelations continued to emerge about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. While Andrew has been ordered to leave Royal Lodge, it is believed he won't be relocating to a private home on the Sandringham estate until next year, to avoid awkward run-ins with the Royal Family as they celebrate Christmas on the King's Norfolk estate.
Many believed Andrew would be vacating his Windsor home, where he has lived with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson for two decades, early in 2026. But a royal expert believes Andrew will drag his heels on leaving for one major reason.
Royal commentator Robert Jobson told Hello! Magazine: "Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor seems to be kicking his heels. The disgraced royal has made it clear to the King and courtiers who sent him packing, that he is going nowhere fast.
"Despite formal notice being served in October to surrender his Royal Lodge lease, he won't budge until February at the earliest, suggesting he will spend Christmas at Royal Lodge while the King invites the rest of his close family to Sandringham.
"Why the delay? Logistics. Moving two decades of accumulated life from 30 rooms into a modest cottage takes time, close sources say. It is understood Andrew's Sandringham property isn't ready. Downsizing is complex, the Palace says."
Robert added: "But understanding doesn't mean sympathy. Sources say Andrew is 'leaning on every technical step available' to slow the process. Delay as strategy. Why rush to your own diminishment?"
While Andrew was asked to leave by King Charles, the former prince is legally allowed to stay in the Royal Lodge until October 2026. The details of Andrew's lease were shared recently , with the Termination of Lease clause stipulating that Andrew served a "Tenant's Notice offering to Surrender the Lease" on The Crown Estate on October 30 2025, giving the minimum 12 months' notice as per the terms of the lease.
This means that until October 30 next year, the disgraced prince continues to be financially responsible for the ongoing costs of maintenance and repair of the property. Once the property has been handed back to The Crown Estate, it will assume this responsibility.
At the end of October, the King officially stripped his disgraced brother Andrew of his HRH style and his prince title, and removed his dukedom from the Roll of the Peerage over his "serious lapses" of judgment.
The move followed the publication of a posthumous memoir by Andrew's accuser, Virginia Giuffre, and the US government's release of documents from Epstein's estate. It emerged that Andrew had emailed Epstein in 2011 saying "we're in this together", three months after he claimed he had broken all contact with the convicted sex offender. Andrew denies all wrongdoing.