Andrew’s lonely life in Norfolk as King shuns him during Sandringham weekend
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s apparent isolation from the Royal Family has been amplified by King Charles reportedly choosing not to visit him while staying just minutes away at Sandringham over the bank holiday weekend.
According to The Times, the King arrived on Sunday at Wood Farm, a farmhouse on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, located next to Marsh Farm, where Mountbatten-Windsor now lives. But Charles would not see his brother during his stay, the paper reported.
The news comes as Thames Valley Police said it had widened its criminal investigation into Mountbatten-Windsor’s possible misconduct in public office to include sexual misconduct claims. Mountbatten-Windsor has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
“He’s totally isolated as far as we know,” royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said of the former prince.
“The King obviously wishes to distance himself as much from Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor whilst the police investigation is going on,” he added.
‘Complete distance from Andrew’
The King has distanced himself from Mountbatten-Windsor since at least February, when the former Duke of York was arrested by officers on suspicion of misconduct in public office after it was alleged he shared confidential material with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, his friend, during his time as a trade envoy for the UK. Mountbatten-Windsor has denied allegations of wrongdoing.
Following the arrest, the King expressed “the deepest concern” about Mountbatten-Windsor’s news. He said: “Let me state clearly: the law must take its course,” in a statement that underscored the severity of the crisis to the monarchy.
Mountbatten-Windsor moved to Marsh Farm in February after he was forced to leave his 30-room Royal Lodge mansion following the release of files relating to Epstein that prompted fresh scrutiny of Mountbatten-Windsor.
Charles and Mountbatten-Windsor have not been seen together in public for months – they were last pictured together at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral in September.
“So far as the King is concerned, obviously he wants to keep a complete distance from Andrew,” Fitzwilliams said.
Mountbatten-Windsor’s solitary life
Mountbatten-Windsor is understood to lead a mostly solitary and sedentary life now, spending his time mainly watching TV and walking his dogs. Workmen were photographed installing Sky TV shortly before he moved into Marsh Farm, and more recently, he was out walking his dogs when a man allegedly threatened him.
He is reportedly not on the guest list for the wedding of his nephew Peter Phillips – the son of his sister Princess Anne – who is set to marry Harriet Sperling next month.
The bank holiday snub, however, may not mean that the former prince has been completely cut off from the King, Fitzwilliams said.
“What we don’t know is how often they’ve spoken on the phone, and the intermediaries, and so on. All sorts of things can go on without us actually knowing,” he said.
Mountbatten-Windsor’s brother and sister-in-law, Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, visited him over Easter.
Royal experts previously told The i Paper that the King will never be able to entirely ditch the former prince, and in private, will always support him.
Isolation extends to Mountbatten-Windsor’s family
The public isolation Mountbatten-Windsor is experiencing seems to have extended to his children, although it is not clear for his daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie whether it was their choice or down to direction from senior royals.
The sisters have kept their royal titles and privileges even as their father was stripped of his titles in October last year.
“The issue is coming up with Royal Ascot and Beatrice and Eugenie. They didn’t attend the garden parties, they didn’t attend for Easter with the royal family, and then it was reported they wouldn’t be future royal events, including Royal Ascot,” Fitzwilliams said.
Royal Ascot is typically attended by the King and Queen and other members of the Royal Family who spend the day watching the horse races from the royal enclosure.
Mountbatten-Windsor’s conduct while attending the racing event in June 2002 is understood to be under scrutiny by police.
Officers investigating him are looking into an allegation that he behaved inappropriately towards a woman at Royal Ascot, The Sunday Times reported.
It is not clear whether police received a report of an alleged offence around the time of the incident, or whether it was reported to officers more recently.
A Thames Valley Police spokesperson said: “We cannot go into specifics of the investigation, but we are following all reasonable lines of inquiry.”
المصدر: iNews