Renovations on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s new home are in full swing as he is set to be kicked out of Royal Lodge before his 66th birthday next month.
The disgraced royal was forced to give back his tenancy agreement for his home on the Windsor Estate when he was stripped of his prince and duke titles in October over his ties to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Workers have started renovating inside the run-down Marsh Farm at Sandringham, while six-foot wooden fences have been erected around the home to make it secure and private.
A JCB digger was seen at the estate on Tuesday, and electricians were making the farm buildings habitable for the shamed former prince, including installing CCTV for extra security.
At least six workmen were seen going inside the detached property, and a van from a specialist security company was also spotted at the farmhouse.
Andrew will move into a temporary, smaller property on the King’s Norfolk estate as early as the end of this month and before his 66th birthday on February 19, The Sun reports.
He is set to stay there until Easter, when the work on Marsh Farm is scheduled to be finished.
‘The snow or rain hasn’t delayed the work on Marsh Farm but it still needs a lot of attention to make it habitable,’ a Palace insider said.
‘But one thing for sure is that it is a lot, lot smaller and less luxurious than Royal Lodge.’
It is believed that Andrew was keen to move to the five-bedroom cottage Wood Farm – where Prince Philip spent his retirement – but there had been some debate over whether that might mean he is ‘too close’ to the rest of the family.
Andrew will instead move into Marsh Farm, which is two miles west of Sandringham House and has been empty for several years.
It is understood that the farmhouse and the surrounding outhouses previously belonged to a former tenant who had died some time ago.
On Saturday, the Mail revealed how Andrew’s Royal Lodge mansion was not inspected by officials once in the 22 years he lived there rent-free.
When the lease for the 30-room home was signed in 2003, it included unique terms which included no rent but a costly upfront refurbishment and upkeep schedule.
The disgraced royal paid £8million to repair the then-dilapidated property, and promised to allow inspectors in at ‘all reasonable times’ to make sure he looked after it.
In return, his estate landlord, the independent company which manages Crown properties for the benefit of the taxpayer, allowed him to pay no rent for the duration of the 75-year lease.
But not one Crown Estate official carried out an inspection of Royal Lodge in the whole time Andrew lived there – raising concerns of a ‘sweetheart deal’ at taxpayers’ expense.
Andrew has still been living there with his former wife, Sarah Ferguson, while work is completed ahead of their move.
A friend told the Sun: ‘He’s finally decided he needs to get on with his life and so is moving out sooner than thought and starting afresh by the end of the month, or at least before his birthday in February. He and Sarah will go their own separate ways for the first time in almost 20 years.’
Fergie has lived with her disgraced ex-husband in the Grade II-listed mansion since 2008, despite divorcing in 1996.
The former duchess, who once told the Daily Mail: ‘We’re the happiest divorced couple in the world. We’re divorced to each other, not from each other.’
She is reportedly continuing to look for a new property, and it is understood that she is considering a ‘granny annexe’ in the Cotswolds next to Princess Beatrice or moving to Portugal with Princess Eugenie.
