Former prince Andrew has been hit with several strict new rules at his isolated Sandringham cottage, it has been claimed. The former Duke of York has been holed up in his temporary home of Wood Farm ever since his arrest last week on suspicion of misconduct in a public office.
There have been no sightings of him since he arrived back at the property, where his late father Prince Philip, lived out his final days, after slouching down in the back of a car, leaving Aylsham police station in Norfolk. It has been suggested that while at Wood Farm, Andrew has been told he is not allowed to go out riding, something he did often while living at the much grander Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate, as it’s considered a “bad look” in the wake of the police probe into him.
And now according to the i newspaper, it is claimed further rules have been imposed upon Mountbatten-Windsor – and that he cannot leave the Sandringham estate without permission and a chaperone. It is further claimed that any visitors to his home must also be approved in advance.
Earlier this week, Thames Valley Police said searches of Mountbatten-Windsor’s former Royal Lodge home had ended after several days. He was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, spending 11 hours in custody on his 66th birthday, after allegations he shared sensitive information with Jeffrey Epstein during his time as the UK’s trade envoy.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, ministers agreed to release files related to the appointment of Mountbatten-Windsor to the trade envoy role, as the former prince was described as “a rude, arrogant and entitled man”.
However, MPs were told the Government is unable to publish material that police need for their inquiries until officers are “satisfied”. In the Commons, trade minister Sir Chris Bryant described Andrew as “a man on a constant self-aggrandising and self-enriching hustle” and “a rude, arrogant and entitled man who could not distinguish between the public interest, which he said he served, and his own private interest”.
Sir Chris said: “Let me be clear from the outset, we support this motion today. Frankly, it is the least we owe the victims of the horrific abuse that was perpetrated by Jeffrey Epstein and others, the abuse that was enabled, aided and abetted by a very extensive group of arrogant, entitled and often very wealthy individuals in this country and elsewhere.
“It’s not just the people who participated in the abuse. It’s the many, many more who turned a blind eye out of greed, familiarity or deference.”
