Andrew’s new life in Sandringham: New residence in secluded a part of King’s property will enable exiled royal to go horse-riding, take lengthy walks and go chook watching out of the general public eye

As Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor takes in his new surroundings today he will perhaps begin to realise that he is now as physically isolated as he has become socially.

The disgraced former Prince, once second in line to the throne but now persona non grata, has been exiled to a remote cottage, Wood Farm, on the edges of the Sandringham estate.

Wood Farm, the property where his father, the Duke of Edinburgh spent much of his final years, is hidden from public view around 300 yards down a private driveway in Wolferton on the edge of the Norfolk estate.

As one local put it today: ‘Sandringham is the most isolated of the Royal Family‘s palaces in England – and Wood Farm is the most isolated corner of the Sandringham estate. This is like being sent to Siberia.’

But, another said the ex-Duke should be sent somewhere even more ‘secluded’, suggesting that a house that was ‘out in the woods that’s surrounded by trees and no other houses… would have been better’.

Other locals living nearby did not speak positively of Andrew, who is thought to have moved into the five-bedroom cottage late on Monday night. 

‘I’m not particularly keen on him,’ one woman said. ‘I’m not happy he’s this way. As long as we don’t see him. He will be hid away somewhere. 

‘He will have all the things he needs. He’s still living in a certain amount of luxury.’

Today two builders’ vans, a groundworks van, a flatbed truck and a pest control operator were seen driving into the grounds of the property – appearing to confirm the suggestion that Andrew’s move there had been rushed before it could be readied to receive him.

A car containing two men, believed to be police officers assigned to protect Andrew, physically if not reputationally, was also seen around the farm – while Andrew was believed to be arranging the interior to his taste.

One of the officers in the front passenger seat used his mobile phone to film journalists and photographers gathered outside the driveway leading to the rambling farmhouse.

Crucially Wood Farm is invisible from public roads and footpaths as it lies behind areas of woodland, shielding it from view and allowing Andrew to hide himself away.

King Charles is said to have been desperate to get Andrew out of the public eye – after he was many times photographed horse riding around Windsor as the Epstein allegations swirled.

Andrew will still have plenty of room to indulge his equine hobby here without being seen by photographers – there are plenty of areas where he can ride without being seen here.

There is also a private track at the rear of the farmhouse giving access to a number of different exits to public roads on the estate.

It will mean he will not have to constantly use the main entrance to Wood Farm which would make his comings and goings much more visible.

A strict no-fly zone imposed by the Civil Aviation Authority over parts of the state including Wood Farm means he will also escape scrutiny by drones.

One villager said today: ‘If you live here you have to got to love the countryside because there is not a lot to do apart from that here. People come here for a quiet life, and I guess Andrew is going to have to get used to to that.

‘People are curious about him arriving and what he is going to get up to, but they are also not too pleased about all the attention he is attracting. 

‘Locals here are used to seeing members of the Royal family, so nobody is going to take much notice if they see him around.’

A woman, speaking anonymously, added: ‘Really he’s going back to luxury, isn’t he? He’s being waited on hand and foot.’

A third woman, who also did not give her name, said she was ‘not enamoured’ that Andrew had moved to the area. 

‘They’re dumping their royal rubbish on us,’ she said. 

Abraham Bruin, 83, of West Walton, who used to work in plant nurseries, said: ‘I’m a little bit flabbergasted myself. 

‘If he’s an outcast and living on the estate, he’s not an outcast is he.’

The former Royal is expected to remain at Wood Farm until around April when he is due to move to his new permanent home Marsh Farm which is around half a mile away.

Marsh Farm which is far less private than Wood Farm as it sits beside a private road is still undergoing extensive renovations to make it ready for Andrew to move in.

Both properties are privately owned by the King who inherited the 20,000-acre Sandringham estate from his late mother.

The King is said to be meeting all the costs of the renovation work on Marsh Farm which has been empty for a number of years according to villagers.

Sources had suggested that Andrew had been lobbying his brother to try and get permission to make his forever home at Wood Farm, due to its greater privacy.

The prince is very familiar with Wood Farm as it has often been used by a quiet retreat by members of the Royal family, away from the formalities of Sandringham House.

It was also the retirement home of his late father Prince Philip from when he stepped down from public duties in 2017 until he moved to Windsor during the Covid pandemic in March 2020.

The fact that it has remained in regular use by the Royals for many years, suggests that it is in a good state of repair and decor, although it is a fraction of the size of Andrew’s former home at 30-room Royal Lodge in Windsor which he vacated under cover of darkness last night.

Wood Farm is surrounded by fields used by the estate for grazing sheep and growing organic crops, giving the former prince plenty of opportunity to go on long walks to come to terms with his new life.

It’s unclear whether his famous collection of teddy bears has yet been brought to join him.

The area is rich in wildlife and backs on to the windswept foreshore of The Wash which is a world away from the pristine beaches of his late paedophile friend Jeffrey Epstein’s private island Little Saint James in the US Virgin Islands where he was once a regular guest.

His home is also a three mile walk across fields to the brackish lagoons, salt marshes and shingle beaches of the RSPB reserve at Snettisham, should he develop an interest in bird watching.

The world-renowned reserve is famous for its annual Snettisham Spectacular between September and April when massive flocks of up to 120,000 waders—mainly Knot, Dunlin, Oystercatchers, and Bar-tailed Godwits—gather during high tides.

Winter visitors to the reserve which is famous for its sunsets also include thousands of Pink-footed Geese, while breeding birds at the spot include Avocets, Common Terns, and Black-headed Gulls.

If Andrew decides he wants to turn to religion, he could also attend services at the imposing St Peter’s church at Wolferton which dates back to the late 13th century and stands at the entrance to Wood Farm.

The church was a favourite of the late Queen who visited at least once a year during her traditional Christmas and New Year break at Sandringham. The King and Camilla also worshipped at the church just ten-days-ago when they arrived there in his new bespoke Lotus Eletre electric SUV.

The village of Wolferton has been steeped in Royal history for years and used to have its own railway station, used by members of the Royal family to travel to and from Sandringham between 1862 and 1965. The station buildings have been converted into homes.

Wolferton has no pub or shop meaning locals have to drive to get provisions or rely on deliveries, but it is close to the village of Dersingham which has a Co-op supermarket, a convenience store, a chemist, a post office, and two pubs, The Feathers and The Coach and Horses.

A number of acclaimed gastro pubs, such as the 14th century Rose and Crown at Snettisham and the King’s Head at Great Bircham, are only a short drive away. Both have been used in the past by Prince William and Kate

The visitor’s centre at Sandringham is also known for its reasonably-priced meals, often using produce from the estate, but Andrew might not want to run the risk of rubbing shoulders with Royal fans expressing disapproval of him.

The historic town of King’s Lynn which is known for its maritime heritage and its medieval and Georgian buildings is only a nine mile drive away from Wolferton, should the former prince want to go to its cinema, bars or restaurants.

Contractors have been putting up security cameras and large fences to stop onlookers staring into Marsh Farm before work starts to transform its interior prior to Andrew’s arrival. A pest control company has also reportedly been used to tackle moles which have dug up the property’s front lawn.

It was earlier revealed that Andrew faces signing up to an Environment Agency warning system because Marsh Farm is in an area with ‘a high probability of flooding’ and surrounded by land below sea level, according to the Royal family’s own website.

Planning documents reveal that the five bedroom Marsh Farm is in an area rated by the Environment Agency as being a Class 3 flood zone where properties are at risk.

While the designation rates the area as being at ‘a high probability of flooding’, much of the risk at Wolferton is mitigated by strong sea defences and a modern pumping station.

But Andrew’s new neighbours have already been urged to join the Environment Agency’s Floodline Warnings Service which alerts people to likely flooding by phone, text or email.

It is expected that the former Royal will be given similar advice.

Details of the area’s risk of flooding were revealed last year in a report drawn up on behalf of the Sandringham estate when it wanted to change the use of two barns next door to Marsh Farm from agriculture to commercial use.

The document drawn up by Ellingham Consulting stated that the surrounding area would be at risk of flooding if there was ‘breach of the tidal defences’ offering protection from the North Sea around a mile away.

It stated that the defences formed by a natural shingle ridge with a raised flood embankment were currently in ‘a fair condition’, with a secondary grassed earth embankment running parallel around 500m inland offering further protection.

The defences, coupled with the effectiveness of the pumping station at Wolferton, meant the barns next door to Marsh Farm were at a low ‘actual risk’ of flooding, the document said.

But it added that there was an annual one in 200 chance every year of the Sandringham estate’s farmland at the rear of the property being flooded, taking into account climate change and ‘combined breaches to the coastal defence’.

An assessment map showed that such flooding would potentially put Andrew’s front garden and driveway under up to 25cms of floodwater, although it would fall short of flooding into his home

The report added that the estate should ensure its tenants were ‘sufficiently aware of the risk of flooding, and the standard of the existing defences’.

It added: ‘The Environment Agency operates a flood warning system for properties at risk of flooding to enable householders to protect life or take actions to manage the effect of flooding on property.

‘Floodline Warnings Service is a national system run by the Environment Agency for broadcasting flooding warnings. The user of the site should register to receive flood warnings.

‘During an extreme event it is anticipated that sufficient time would be available to

take precautionary actions to limit the potential impact of flooding.’

The report stated that the flooding risk was also reduced by the Wolferton Pumping station operated by the King’s Lynn Internal Drainage Board which collects water in a series of drains around the farmland and pumps it back into The Wash.

It stated: ‘Failure of Wolferton Pumping Station may occur due to long term mechanical breakdown or power supply being disrupted.

‘However, in these circumstances, if conditions were such to put properties and land at risk of flooding, the IDB would take emergency action to maintain the drainage level of service by using temporary pumping equipment.’

King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council ruled that the change of use for the two barns could go ahead automatically without the need for planning consent.

The Wolferton Pumping Station was initially opened by the late Queen’s father King George VI in 1948, allowing 7,000 acres of marshland to be drained, dried out and farmed.

The Royal family’s official website tells how the former King ‘took a personal interest in the scheme’ to drain the land and ‘designated’ the area on the estate where the pumping station could be built.

Its installation meant that the land at Wolferton became ‘some of the most productive on the Estate, and produces organic crops including wheat, barley, oats and beans’, the website adds.

The pumping station was rebuilt in 2019 to make it ‘cleaner, more efficient and environmentally friendly’ and better able to protect local wildlife, including nesting birds on the neighbouring marshes.

The new station was officially opened in 2020 by the late Queen, following in her father’s footsteps from 72 years earlier. She toured the facility and met long serving staff before signing a visitor’s book and unveiling a plaque.