‘I visited Andrew’s new home before his clash with Edward and the smell stuck with me’
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s boddy Sandringham hideaway, has reportedly become the site of long-brewing sibling rivalry between himself and Prince Edward, with an Easter weekend clash making things uncomfortable
The childhood rivalry between Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and Prince Edward reportedly spilt over during the Easter weekend(Image: PA)
This year, the Easter weekend will have been very different to those gone by, with the scandal of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor continuing to loom large over the springtime celebrations.
And it’s understood that one particular new development may have proven to be a sticking point with Andrew’s younger brother, Prince Edward. As the two youngest siblings of the Windsor household, Andrew and Edward navigated a slightly different sort of childhood from their elder brother, King Charles, 77, and elder sister, Princess Anne, 75.
By the time of their births, mother Queen Elizabeth II was well settled into her reign, an experienced monarch who, it’s been widely speculated, enjoyed a more relaxed approach to parenthood. But while there may be just four years between Andrew, 66, and Edward, 62, this relatively close age gap hasn’t necessarily always made for a smooth sibling relationship.
Indeed, right from their early days in the nursery, the pair are understood to have very different temperaments. Andrew, a favourite of the late Queen Elizabeth, is said to have been a “bruiser” who “bullied’ the ‘sweet, quiet and studious” Edward and even stole his cake.
And while on the surface, the pair appeared to have mended their differences in adulthood, it’s previously been claimed that those old tensions were still bubbling away behind palace walls. Now, it would appear that emotions could boil over once more, with Andrew’s boggy hideaway being the site of the chilly family drama.
The royal brothers are close in age, but have very different temperaments(Image: Mirrorpix)
Andrew, known as Prince Andrew during his days of nursery squabbling with Edwards, is now carving out a new life for himself on the Sandringham Estate, after being ousted from Royal Lodge by Charles amid the ongoing scandal of his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The former Duke of York, who has been stripped of his royal titles, has denied all wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, who died by suicide behind bars in 2019.
But, while Andrew is now firmly situated in Sandringham, away from the livelier location of Windsor Great Park, there is still a bit of upheaval ahead, with the ex-prince reportedly continuing to drag his feet somewhat with his shameful move from Royal Lodge. And this has allegedly affected the Easter plans of Edward and his wife Sophie Rhys Jones, who’ve been forced to find accommodation elsewhere as Andrew tos and fros between Wood Farm and Marsh Farm.
Although Andrew has now finally moved into the five-bed Marsh Farm, following extensive renovations, his “back and forth” between the two relatively modest grace and favour properties apparently played havoc with Edward and Sophie’s Easter plans. While the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh tend to stay at Wood Farm for their Easter break, this allegedly wasn’t possible this year on account of Andrew “dragging his feet”.
Mirror reporter Julia Banim visited Marsh Farm before Andrew and Edward’s alleged tiff(Image: Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)
Mild-mannered Edward, known for shunning the limelight, was reportedly forced to have “a quiet word” with Andrew after he and Sophie were forced to stay at a ‘holiday let over Easter’. The Duke and Duchess made use of the idyllic Garden House, the former home of the Sandringham gardener, described as a “charming detached Norfolk hideaway” by Norfolk Hideaways, which can cost £4,110 a week to rent out in peak season
A source told us: “Andrew was evicted from Royal Lodge at Windsor but now has two homes at his disposal. He is just going back and forth between Wood Farm and Marsh Farm. It’s got to be sorted as Edward and Sophie like to use Wood Farm.” It’s understood that Andrew spent his very first night at Marsh Farm on Easter Monday, and the property may well feel like a bit of a letdown after the splendour of Royal Lodge.
I visited the Sandringham Estate shortly after Andrew’s shock move and was taken aback by this relatively humble abode. While a dream house to the vast majority of us, complete with outbuildings, this isn’t the sort of property that stops you in your tracks. It’s large, but not imposing, and certainly not the sort of residence you’d expect for a man born at Buckingham Palace. While guards line the gates of Andrew’s birthplace at all times, all that stood between me and the muddy, molehill puckered lawn was a low wooden fence. It looks like the pleasant, red brick home of a well-to-do middle-class businessman, not the favourite son of Britain’s longest serving monarch.
As boys, Andrew would reportedly bully Edward and steal his cake(Image: Getty Images)
From our vantage point on the ordinary, puddle-streaked country lane, there was little in the way of privacy – the windows to the front rooms a little more than a stone’s throw away. The garden has a neglected, sleepy look, and the smell of wet mud took me aback. I’m not sure what sort of home I’d expect for a former prince stripped of all titles; there is perhaps no precedent set for a scandal of this magnitude. But given the notoriety of the situation and the undeniably heated public response, I expected more of a fortress.
While Edward may not be best pleased about his disrupted plans, there is a feeling among some sources that he still has some sympathy for his disgraced sibling and even took the time to check in on him over the course of the long weekend, reports the Express. After Andrew and his family were barred from attending the annual Matins service in Windsor, Edward and Sophie shared dinner with him over the Easter weekend in what has been described as “a brotherly welfare check”. It’s understood that the pair would have been his very first royal guests at his new accommodation.
Meanwhile, the Daily Mail reports that Edward has become increasingly concerned for Andrew in recent weeks. A source told the publication: “Edward and Sophie had dinner with Andrew one night over the weekend, and they talked things through. It’s true to say they both feel sorry for Andrew and how far he has fallen, and they are worried about his fragile state of mind.”
Edward is reportedly concerned about Andrew’s ‘fragile state of mind’(Image: Getty Images)
The complex relationship between Edward and Andrew was previously summed up by royal author Robert Jobson, who claimed that the youngest Windsor brother was always closest to Charles, who would entertain him with imaginative made-up stories as boys. In a piece penned for the Daily Mail, Jobson wrote: “Andrew, meanwhile, was loud and robust. He would constantly swipe his younger brother. If he saw Edward going for a particular piece of cake, Andrew would try to grab it first. Edward learned to yield to him,”
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