10 April 2026 , 23:22
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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has sparked one of, if not the, biggest royal scandals in living memory, but according to a royal author, he may still have one ace up his sleeve.
The disgraced former Duke of York has finally taken the long-awaited step and moved from his temporary residence at Wood Farm to his permanent new home, Marsh Farm. Along with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, he was evicted from the 30-room Royal Lodge in Windsor by King Charles last year.
With his elder brother privately footing the bill for his new home, the extensive renovations and his security detail, there have often been questions whether Andrew has been experiencing a ’light-touch’ approach since he was stripped of his royal titles and honours back in October.
Andrew settled out of court for millions of pounds. (Image: Getty)
Whether this is the case is up for debate; however, Nigel Cawthorne, author of Prince Andrew: Epstein, Maxwell and the Palace, believes Andrew could know more than he is letting on, and that is why he was able to delay his permanent move for so long and stop other members of his family from using Wood Farm over Easter.
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Express, Mr Cawthorne said: "As to the rest of the Royal Family tiptoeing around him, he knows where the bodies are buried.
"One thing that intrigues us all is where the £12 million he used to pay off Virginia Giuffre came from. If he spoke up about who stumped up the cash, the spotlight would turn on them and the question would be asked: What did they know?"
In early 2022, Andrew settled out of court in a multi-million-pound settlement with his sex abuse accuser, Virginia Giuffre. The former Duke of York vehemently denies any wrongdoing.
Andrew was arrested in February under suspicion of misconduct in public office during his time as the UK’s trade envoy. He was released after 11 hours at a Norfolk police station and remains under investigation.
The news comes as Sky Roberts, Ms Giuffre’s brother, and Amanda Roberts, Ms Giuffre’s sister-in-law, who previously thanked King Charles for “standing behind survivors” following Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest in February, “strongly” urged the Monarch to meet with them when he goes to the US on a state visit later this month.
In a statement to BBC Newsnight, they said they were “hopeful that conversation with survivors and their families will continue to elicit decisive action from the British Government against the co-conspirators of Jeffrey Epstein”.
“King Charles III’s visit will come at a deeply personal time for our family,” the statement said.
“His arrival comes just two days after the one-year anniversary of the death of our beloved sister, Virginia Roberts Giuffre.
“We strongly urge King Charles to meet with us and survivors and hear what we have to say. We are thankful to him for heeding our sister’s allegations against Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and for his decisive action in stripping his brother from his position as a prince.
“Amanda and I are hopeful that conversations with survivors and their families will continue to elicit decisive action from the British government against the co-conspirators of Jeffrey Epstein.
“Virginia spent her life fighting to hold these predators accountable; it is in her memory that we encourage the king to speak with us and survivors, and continue pursuing justice across the United Kingdom.”
However, it is understood that the King and Queen will not be able to meet with victims while there are ongoing UK police investigations into matters related to Epstein.
The late Ms Giuffre, who died by suicide last year, accused Andrew of sexual abuse, which he vehemently denies.
Politics Editor