Shamed Andrew Mountbatten Windsor could 'live luxurious life in Abu Dhabi palace' if he leaves UK
The disgraced former Duke of York is set to finally leave the Royal Lodge, but his future could lie abroad.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's life was turned upside down last week when his brother, King Charles III, started the process of stripping him of his royal titles.
The former Duke of York will also be moving out of the 30-room Royal Lodge after a protracted dispute over his residence at the mansion.
While pressure was mounting for action following the release of Virginia Giuffre's posthumous memoir about her ordeal at the hands of paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, the ruthless action by the king may have come as a bit of a shock.
And the humiliation for Andrew, whose relationship with Epstein has been the source of nationwide fury for several years, has left many people wondering what comes next.
The Mirror reports that disgraced Andrew is set to move to a smaller home on King Charles' Sandringham estate in Norfolk. How long he will stay in this internal exile remains to be seen.
Due to the anger directed at Andrew by the general public - both for his relationship with Epstein and Giuffre's accusations of sexual assault against him, which the former prince flatly denies - many royal experts expect him to quit the UK to restart his life.
Royal biographer Andrew Morton told Times Radio: "I would predict that, if we're speaking about this time next year, Andrew will probably live somewhere abroad."
It appears that the United Arab Emirates, and specifically Abu Dhabi, is the expected location. According to The Sun, the UAE's billionaire ruler, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has offered the shamed royal a 16,000sq ft palace.
The 65-year-old's potential new pad has six air-conditioned bedrooms, each with an en suite, as well as an indoor gym, pool, cinema, and a monster kitchen staffed by top chefs.
The mansion is part of a heavily-guarded complex surrounded by a 30ft hedge, with five other palaces housing royal sheikhs and government ministers.
There are only two entrances to the estate, where privacy is paramount, with a government-appointed guard operating a barrier at one to keep the public at bay, and a separate official in a gatehouse checking the credentials of any visitors.
A worker at one of the palaces told The Sun: "The whole area is private and very secure. The public are not allowed in and there are cameras which log every vehicle which approaches. "The area is effectively under the radar. We have not heard anything official yet about Andrew moving in but he would enjoy it here because it is very private."
The opportunity for Andrew to flee the UK for a life of luxury in Abu Dhabi is due to his long-standing friendship with Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, 64. They met during Andrew's visits from 2001 as a trade envoy.
The sheikh, known as MBZ, has served as the third president of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of Abu Dhabi since 2022.
In 2011, it was revealed Andrew's family had received gifts from the Emirates royal family, including some expensive pieces of jewellery for his eldest daughter, Beatrice, who is currently in the Middle East. She and her sister, Eugenie, flaed the UK as the net tightened on Andrew.
Last week, Beatrice appeared at a business conference in Abu Dhabi, a day after being snapped at an event in Saudi Arabia. She has previously spoken at an energy conference in Abu Dhabi and enjoyed a private meeting with MBZ, while in 2023 Eugenie was there to attend the F1 grand prix.
Some royal experts believe the luxurious lifestyle in Abu Dhabi would appeal to Andrew, as the government censors the media to keep criticism of powerful figures at a minimum.
Historian Andrew Lownie, author of Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, said: "He would be happy living somewhere where the media is muzzled, where he will still be treated as a senior royal and where he can easily live under the radar. "His personal relationships with young women are not likely to be scrutinised in Abu Dhabi."