A New Ban Has Been Put in Place at Sandringham Ahead of Former Prince Andrew's Move to "Shoebox-Sized House"

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor might be at Royal Lodge longer than expected.

Prince Andrew
(Image credit: Getty)

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is preparing to move out of Royal Lodge and into his new home on the Sandringham estate, but according to reports, his big relocation might take much longer than expected. On December 14, the Mail On Sunday reported that the former prince is going to be living at Marsh Farm, a small, rundown property at the edge of King Charles’s private Norfolk estate. Amid the news, Hello! reported that the no-fly zone on drones around Sandringham House has been extended to include the farm.

Marsh Farm is located to the west of Sandringham House in the town of Wolferton, and the amended no-fly zone was approved in September. The ban was enacted when drones were spotted flying over Sandringham after the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, visited King Charles at his Norfolk retreat in March.

The no-fly zone originally included the area around the main house, where the royals stay for Christmas each year, and also surrounded Prince William and Princess Kate’s country home, Anmer Hall.

The exterior of Sandringham House

Sandringham House is where the Royal Family spends Christmas each year.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Prince Andrew and Fergie Christmas 2023

Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, are pictured waving to the public at Sandringham on Christmas Day 2023.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Although it was widely suggested that the former Duke of York might move into Prince Philip’s old home, Wood Farm, the Mail on Sunday’s source suggested that him living less than two miles from the royals was “too close” for comfort.

Marsh Farm is “understood to be currently under extensive renovation in preparation for his arrival,” the outlet reported, as the working farm is in need of extensive repairs. The source claimed that along with the renovations, “hoarder” Andrew’s out-of-control house is partly to blame for the move taking longer than expected.

“Andrew is going to a shoebox-sized house, compared to Royal Lodge, so a lot of the things that were taken are going into a storage unit,” the insider said. “The clutter at Royal Lodge is turning what should be a straightforward move into a months-long, room-by-room excavation.”

'It's all going to be painfully slow, especially with refurbishment work to complete at the other end,” the source added. “These aren't the kind of belongings you can sweep into a skip. Even if Andrew wanted to move tomorrow, he couldn't.”

Kristin Contino
Senior Royal and Celebrity Editor

Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.