Pressure is mounting on Prince Andrew to vacate the Royal Lodge as new details surface about his controversial ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The 65-year-old former Duke of York relinquished all of his remaining royal titles and honours earlier this month, just days before the publication of his accuser Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir. The book contains a series of serious allegations, including claims that he slept with her on three occasions when she was still a minor — accusations Andrew has consistently and vehemently denied.
Following renewed scrutiny, public calls have intensified for the prince to lose his Windsor home — a sprawling 30-room estate he still shares with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson.
Now, a source has told The Sun that Andrew and Fergie have allegedly agreed to move out and into separate residences. According to the report, Andrew has requested to relocate to Frogmore Cottage, while Ferguson has her sights set on Adelaide Cottage. Both properties lie within the secure perimeter of Windsor Castle, meaning the moves would not require taxpayer-funded renovations or additional security costs.
Still, the revelation has reignited a long-standing question: why do the former couple still live together nearly three decades after their divorce?
For context, the Duke and Duchess of York separated in 1992 and officially divorced in 1996, yet Ferguson continued to use her duchess title until Andrew’s recent decision to relinquish his own. The pair have shared the Royal Lodge since 2008 and continue to reside there together, despite their marital split. They also share two daughters — Princess Beatrice, 37, and Princess Eugenie, 35.
In a 2018 interview with MailOnline, Ferguson explained their unusual arrangement, saying: “Although we are not a couple, we really believe in each other. The Yorks are a united family.”
She later told the Financial Times in 2021: “I’m lucky enough to be a guest at Royal Lodge. He’s that side and I’m this side,” adding that she and Andrew were “the happiest divorced couple in the world.”
However, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams described their cohabitation as an “arrangement of convenience,” claiming it was driven more by financial motives than family closeness. Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: “It’s lucrative for both of them to be together. This has been an arrangement of convenience to enable them to live at a certain level. My feeling is that it was because they are extremely greedy. They desired a certain lifestyle — and this was the main way to get it.”
Fitzwilliams added that the situation has worked to their mutual advantage since 2008 but suggested that the decision to live apart now reflects a change in circumstances. “The world can clearly see that the previous arrangement was designed to maximise the benefit of Andrew’s public life for them privately,” he said.
