Man pleads not responsible to threatening Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor close to his house in Sandringham

A man pleaded not guilty today to threatening Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor near his new home while armed and wearing a balaclava. 

Alex Jenkinson is accused of getting out of his car then running towards the former prince and shouting threats on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk.

The 39-year-old from Stowmarket in Suffolk allegedly confronted Andrew near his Marsh Farm property in Wolferton at 7.30pm on Wednesday. 

Andrew, who was accompanied by a member of his private security detail, is said to have rushed towards his own car parked nearby before driving away at speed.

Jenkinson appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court this morning, following the incident which is thought to have left 66-year-old Andrew shaken but unhurt.

The defendant pleaded not guilty to two counts of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour to harass someone or cause alarm or distress. 

But he pleaded guilty to failing to provide a specimen of blood in custody. 

The incident happened near to where Andrew relocated this year after being stripped of his royal titles over his links to American paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

It is said to have taken place on public land in a lane close to the Sandringham Royal Parkland. Andrew and his personal protection officer were asked for statements.

There have been concerns that Andrew could be exposed to more security threats since moving to the rural location from Royal Lodge in Windsor.

The King withdrew his younger brother’s personal allowance and private security provision in 2024 as he attempted to force his removal from Royal Lodge.

Since Andrew eventually agreed to vacate the property late last year and relocate to the Sandringham estate, security has been a major concern.

A source close to him told the Telegraph: ‘Even though Andrew is no longer a working member of the Royal family, the threat to his personal safety is greater than ever.

‘In fact, it could be argued that he is actually more at risk, not only from a potential terror attack but also from individuals who have become fixated due to all of the coverage he has attracted over recent years.

‘This incident clearly demonstrates why his security provisions need to be appropriate for someone with such a high profile. There should be a review, which gives proper consideration to Andrew in the light of what has happened.’

The Norfolk estate is largely open to the public and affords the former duke none of the protections he enjoyed when within the wider royal security cordon at Windsor. 

At the start of April, a man and a woman reportedly scaled the exterior gate at Marsh Farm and were spotted standing on wooden barriers as they peered over a fence in front of the farmhouse. They drove off when Andrew’s security detail reacted.

The disgraced royal is said to have erected a substantial white mobile home in the grounds of his new residence as temporary accommodation for security personnel.

Earlier this year, workmen installed a 6ft perimeter fence and CCTV cameras to enhance security and privacy at the property. A no-fly zone covering the Sandringham Estate was also extended to encompass Marsh Farm.

Andrew has not been seen in public since he was photographed in the back of a car following his release from police custody in February.

He remains under investigation following his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Buckingham Palace officials declined to comment yesterday.

It is understood that since his brother’s move to Sandringham, the King has given Andrew an allowance which includes financial provision towards the cost of private security – but how that is utilised is up to him.

After serving for 22 years in the Royal Navy, Andrew became the UK’s special representative for international trade and investment in 2001. He stepped down in 2011 amid the furore over his friendship with paedophile Epstein.

Andrew’s decision to step down from the role came in the same year he was pictured with his arm around Virginia Giuffre, who alleged she was trafficked to the former duke at the home of convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.

Ms Giuffre claimed she had sex with Andrew three times – at Maxwell’s home in London, at Epstein’s New York townhouse and on the disgraced financier’s Caribbean island, Little St James.

Andrew paid Ms Giuffre millions of pounds to settle a civil suit in the US in 2022, a woman he has claimed never to have met. The King officially stripped his disgraced brother of both his HRH style and his prince title in November 2025.