Prince Andrew – “Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor” – has been hiding out in Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate since he was arrested and held in police custody for around eleven hours on February 19th. Photographers are on a stakeout somewhere close to Wood Farm, and they haven’t caught sight of him in nearly two weeks. But they’re also tracking who visits, whether it’s delivery vans or special guests. King Charles stayed in Sandringham over the weekend but made a point of not visiting Wood Farm. Charles did send the local reverend canon to see Andrew on Saturday though. Well, on Monday, Andrew had another guest at Wood Farm: the Lord Chamberlain of the Royal Household.
The former Prince Andrew had a lengthy visit from a senior palace official, sparking speculation about his place in the line of succession.
The former Duke of York, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor after his titles were stripped last year, was visited by Richard Benyon, the Lord Chamberlain of the Royal Household, on Monday, March 2. According to reports, the two-hour meeting took place at Wood Farm, the residence where Andrew is temporarily staying on the royal family’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk and where he was arrested on Feb. 19 on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
As Lord Chamberlain, Benyon is the main point of communication between the monarch and the House of Lords. While their meeting was private, it sparked speculation that they may have discussed Andrew’s removal from the line of succession to the British throne, which would require an Act of Parliament.
Despite having his royal titles and honors removed by King Charles in the fall of 2025, Andrew retained his spot in the line of succession. He is currently in the eighth spot, behind Prince Harry’s two young children, 6-year-old Prince Archie and 4-year-old Princess Lilibet.
Post-arrest, there was a surge in calls for Andrew’s removal from the line of succession, although in the past five days or so, those calls have become more muted. I think it’s a combination of factors – one, the British government clearly has a million other things on their plate, and two, removing someone from the line of succession is pretty complicated, especially if it’s being done without the (former) royal’s consent. Which is probably why the Lord Chamberlain has begun the process of trying to convince Andrew to “consent” to his removal in some way. That’s my theory. Isn’t that how King Edward VIII had to do it? Like, he had to sign the abdication papers and put it in writing that he and his would-be heirs would never seek the throne, or that they would be ineligible for the throne. That’s probably the work-around to “an act of Parliament” that they’re trying to finesse for Andrew. I wonder if he’s playing along?
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- Prince Andrew arriving for the Requiem Mass service for the Duchess of Kent, at Westminster Cathedral, central London. Picture date: Tuesday September 16, 2025. This is the first Catholic funeral service held for a member of the royal family in modern British history. Katharine, the wife of the late Queen’s cousin the Duke of Kent, converted to Catholicism in 1994.,Image: 1037851240, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Jordan Pettitt/Avalon
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- Prince Andrew arriving for the Requiem Mass service for the Duchess of Kent, at Westminster Cathedral, central London. Picture date: Tuesday September 16, 2025. This is the first Catholic funeral service held for a member of the royal family in modern British history. Katharine, the wife of the late Queen’s cousin the Duke of Kent, converted to Catholicism in 1994.,Image: 1037851355, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Jordan Pettitt/Avalon
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- London, UK, 16th Sep 2025. Prince Andrew chats to clergy. HRH King Charles III, The Prince and Princess of Wales Prince William and Princess Catherine, Anne the Princess Royal, Prince Andrew The Duke and Duchess of York, Prince Michael of Kent and other senior members of the Royal Family all pay their last respects as the coffin is carried to the hearse. They then depart from Westminster Cathedral after the a requiem mass, a Catholic funeral service held for the Duchess of Kent, who passed away on 4 Sep.,Image: 1037876812, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Imageplotter/Avalon
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- London, UK, 16th Sep 2025. Prince Andrew, King Charles, Prince William, Princess Catherine, Sarah Duchess of York. Senior members of the Royal Family all pay their last respects as the coffin is carried to the hearse. They then depart from Westminster Cathedral after the a requiem mass, a Catholic funeral service held for the Duchess of Kent, who passed away on 4 Sep.,Image: 1037888662, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Imageplotter/Avalon
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- Todays front pages with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor,Image: 1071161905, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Geoffrey Swaine/Avalon
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- Todays front pages with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor,Image: 1071161923, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Geoffrey Swaine/Avalon
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- Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrest on all of todays front pages of the papers,Image: 1076662239, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Geoffrey Swaine/Avalon
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- Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrest on all of todays front pages of the papers,Image: 1076662251, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Geoffrey Swaine/Avalon
Did I miss something here? Why are we still calling him “Prince” Andrew? That’s not how you spell “pedo”.
Because the fact that he’s a Prince is why he was able to do all of these deplorable, illegal acts. He’s still being funded by the King and they aided and abetted him during all of it. They want to distance themselves now, so people will disassociate him with them, so he’s no longer a Prince. It’s just smoke and mirrors.
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LOL at the idea that Pedrew will ever cooperate in his removal from the LOS. He’s going to stamp his feet and shriek to high heavens.
Unless he is offered a lot of money to last him for the rest of his days then he might abdicate because he’s looking at a king with cancer and a rage filled tantrum throwing heir who wants to punish everyone severely and strip all of their titles. Let’s not forget about the very real possibility of criminal charges being brought against him also and currently he is living solely on chucks grace.
My immediate reaction is, if it were me I would say no, just to be bl**dy minded. With William, Harry and 5 healthy children between him and the throne it is highly unlikely that we will have a King Andrew. A waste of Parliamentary Time.
Well he certainly won’t acquiesce for free, that’s for sure – look at how long it took for them to pry him out of Royal Lodge! Andrew is and always has been out for himself, even in this situation.
Yes, the five healthy people between him and the throne make it unlikely that he would ever actually be crowned, but the symbolism is what is important for the public. Charles and his courtiers are banking on the public being satisfied with Andrew “giving up” his titles and place in the line of succession as opposed to it being “taken away” by a complicated (and possibly risky) act of parliament.
From Andrew’s point of view, the fact that he’s so far down the line is a plus – it’s not really something he will miss. But it is a bargaining chip that he will certainly try to use with the crown to make sure that he is legally shielded from further investigation and still able to live out his life in comfort and luxury.
The version of the header picture with less red eye correction suits Andrew better because he looks like a freaked out demon who realizes what he has done and where he is ending up. Andrew has enough compromising (blackmail) material to still be alive. He won’t go away quietly and will attempt to drag everyone down around him. He is warped and doesn’t grasp that he has done anything wrong that deserves punishment. Also. Can Charles legally/officially remove Andrew’s titles? Wouldn’t that also require parliamentary approval?
Oh, he’ll go away willingly — if the price is right. I’m guessing his price will be at least $500 million, a palace in Dubai, and an agreement not to extradite him to the UK or the USA if any other disgusting discoveries about his activities are made.
I’m thinking the same: this meeting was also about the money, honey. How much will Charles give Andrew to keep him quiet? The Lord Chamberlain oversees the Keeper of the Privy Purse (the real money guy in the monarchy) but they are both part of the Royal household
Technically is he not still a Prince of England, etc. Especially as he’s still included in the line of succession? Just because he agreed to not use his titles, they were not legally taken away from him.
IMHO opinion we SHOULD continue to refer to him as Prince Andrew to reinforce that all his (alleged) crimes were committed AND condoned while he was a Prince. He’s scum! They knew. They covered up. They enabled.
Lest we forget: rape, pedophilia, human trafficking, treason, lying, etc.
Charles did remove, by letters patent, Andrew’s princely title. He is however still officially the Duke of York.
Is the letters patent going to change the fact that a then reigning monarch gave birth to him?
There is possibly more to this than just the line of succession. It could be the position of Counsellor of State. I think the rule is that any two Counsellors of State can act in place of the King if the King is out of the country or for any other reason is unable to carry out State duties. These duties include signing State papers.
Under the Regency Act 1937 A Counsellor of State is the Monarch’s spouse plus the next four in line of succession who are at least 21. These are William, Harry, Andrew and Beatrice. Harry is not usually available since he lives outside the UK so in 2022 a further law was enacted to include Prince Edward and Princess Anne as Counsellors of State.
Andrew’s change in circumstances will require his removal as a Counsellor of State and, possibly, the removal of Beatrice. This isn’t automatic and a new Act of Parliament will be needed. My guess is that Beatrice will be removed and Edward’s daughter Louise will be added.
I believe when Edward VIII abdicated, there was an act of parliament and subsequent assent by the other countries required.
But, who knows, they think they fooled the public into believing that Andrew’s York and subsidiary titles have been removed, when they haven’t. So, maybe they think Andrew could just write a letter asserting to remove himself from the line of succession and that would be it? I don’t think Charles / the Firm cares about the legalities, just optics.