Articles by Jennifer Newton

Technology

Shamed Prince Andrew's reduced life inside crumbling Royal Lodge with odd hobbies

Prince Andrew has holed himself up at his Royal Lodge home ever since new allegations began to emerge about his association with Jeffrey Epstein . After a nnouncing he was to give up his Duke of York title , Andrew has shut himself off from the outside world inside his sprawling Windsor estate. Revelations in the posthumous memoir of Andrew’s sex accuser, Virginia Giuffre, have placed increasing pressure on the King’s brother. Andrew denies all the claims. And while he stay inside the confines of Royal Lodge, the terms on which Andrew is allowed to live there have also come under fire. Andrew has lived in the 30-room mansion on a peppercorn rent since 2003, although he paid £1 million for the lease and a further £7.5 million for refurbishments. And just yesterday, the Prime Minister said there should be “proper scrutiny” of Andrew’s rent-free mansion in response to calls for a parliamentary inquiry. Since 2019 when Andrew stepped down from public life in the wake of his car crash Newsnight interview, he has barely left the huge home he shares with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. Now sources have revealed exactly how Andrew has been filling his days inside his crumbling mansion - and it seemingly revolved around video games and watching TV. A source told the Sun that the prince spends his days in his large sitting room in front of a large screen playing the likes of war game Call of Duty. Royal biographer Ingrid Seward told the publication that a friend told her after visiting Andrew and Fergie at Royal Lodge: "The prince was in a huge sitting room and Andrew was just lying there on a massive sofa watching TV on the biggest screen my friend had ever seen. It seemed to take up the whole of a wall." It is also reported that he fills his days watching golf coverage and TV, with an insider describing him as a TV aficionado. Meanwhile, another hobby Andrew is said to have taken up inside his home is plane spotting. Royal correspondent Richard Kay previously wrote in the Daily Mail: "The one-time helicopter pilot - commended for his bravery in the Falklands War flying decoy missions to draw Argentine missiles away from the ships of the British task force - is able to watch flights landing and taking off at airports all over the globe. "According to a visitor to Royal Lodge, the prince has become obsessed by the app beloved of planespotter nerds." Although he has seemingly not left his house since the recent scandal broke, in recent years, the only time the prince has been spotted is either driving his car, or going on his twice-weekly horse rides. Before his mother the late Queen died, Andrew would often make the short journey across Windsor Great Park to meet up with her for tea in Windsor Castle. But Ingrid added: "His life is very empty, he’s very lonely and I think he’s probably extremely bored." One person he can count on for company at Royal Lodge is his ex-wife Fergie, who like her former husband is no longer using her Duchess of York title. He shares the house with her and their five Norfolk terriers as well as the late Queen's corgis Sandy and Muick. But given the size of the large house, it is said that Fergie basically has her own private wing of the property - living an almost separate life. In old social media posts on Instagram , she previously gave a glimpse inside the house, showing off it's grand conservatory as well as the vast grounds. Meanwhile, a law which would allow the King to formally strip Andrew of his dukedom was introduced in the Commons on Wednesday. The prince announced last week he would stop using his Duke of York title to avoid distracting from the work of the royal family , but an Act of Parliament would be required to formally remove the dukedom. York Central MP Rachael Maskell has set out legislation which would grant Charles the power to remove titles. The proposed new law would give the monarch the power to remove titles on his own initiative, following a recommendation of a joint committee of Parliament, or at the request of the person who holds the title.