ROYALS

King orders aides 'to leave no trace of Andrew at Royal Lodge' as staff burn unwanted belongings

Staff were reportedly told ‘no trace of the former occupants’ should remain

By Evening Standard

• March 28, 2026 at 10:09 PM

King orders aides 'to leave no trace of Andrew at Royal Lodge' as staff burn unwanted belongings Photo: Evening Standard

The move came amid continuing revelations about the extent of Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah’s friendship with the late paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein .

Andrew, 66, who has taken up residence at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, denies any wrongdoing.

This week, royal aides were spotted removing the last possessions from Royal Lodge, including the apartments where the ex-Duke of York's personal staff used to reside.

On Tuesday, a man believed to be one of Andrew's former valets was spotted burning old furniture outside the building, The Mirror reports .

A palace source insisted that any items being burned were unwanted possessions belonging to Andrew's former aides.

One insider said: “Andrew was told everything has to be out and absolutely nothing was to be left behind.

He hasn’t been back to collect anything, leaving staff to [do it].

"Everything has to be out by the weekend and we’ve been told no trace of the former occupants or staff should remain.”
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Royal Lodge was once a hive of activity as staff worked around the clock to maintain the building and attend to Andrew's personal needs.

But sources say the building is now largely deserted.

On Wednesday, removal men arrived to load items including a mattress into two vans.

The removal firm was JDL, which specialises in film and TV transport and has previously worked on shows such as Netflix's The Crown, which charts the modern Royal family.

Andrew was most recently photographed looking visibly shocked in the back of a vehicle following his arrest on February 19 - the day of his 66th birthday.

Police are investigating whether Andrew gave commercially valuable and sensitive information to Epstein while serving as UK trade envoy.

Detectives are understood to have asked him whether he handed over state secrets to the disgraced billionaire between 2001 and 2011.