‘We don’t want Andrew here’: The Norfolk residents up in arms about their new neighbour

When the King’s aides were forming the plan to strip Andrew Mountbatten Windsor of his titles and evict him from Royal Lodge, they must have spent some time chewing over where might be an appropriate setting for a royal exile. If, God forbid, they ever have cause to do this again, they might like to consult the ladies of the Castle Rising book club. It would be fair to say they have a few thoughts.

Their first suggestion? “Abu Dhabi”, says one member of the group, which is gathering for lunch at the Black Horse, a pub near the Sandringham estate. “Switzerland?” chimes another. “Well why should Switzerland have him?” says Clare, 64. “Why should anybody have him really?” says Linda, 72. “It’s passing the buck. We can’t really fob him off to another country.”

“No, it’s not a good look, is it?” Helen, 67, agrees.

“Well no, so we’ll tolerate him,” says Clare.

It is the morning after the news broke that Mountbatten Windsor, as he will forevermore be known, is to have his 30-room home in Windsor taken from him and will move to an as-yet undisclosed property on the Sandringham estate.

Overnight, the ladies learned they wouldn’t have much choice but to tolerate Norfolk’s newest neighbour. While they approve of the decision to strip Andrew of his titles, and to move him out of Royal Lodge, they weren’t particularly pleased to discover he is to be sent to Sandringham in the New Year, neatly avoiding the glare of the cameras trained on the annual walk to the Christmas Day church service.

Public sentiment towards the former prince is, inevitably, poor. On Thursday, a YouGov favourability tracker showed 91% of Brits have a negative opinion of him, up from 87% in August and the “highest ever recorded by YouGov”. This move, at least, sensibly takes the burden off taxpayers, Sandringham being a private estate. But among the people who live and work in the villages near the King’s Norfolk home, there is a general sense of “but why did it have to be here?”

91% of Britons now have an unfavourable opinion of Andrew, per YouGov. Photo / Getty Images

“It reminds one of why Sandringham was bought in the first place and that was to keep Edward VII out of trouble,” says Gill, 74. “It’s kind of the history of the monarchy repeating itself. But it’s not nice to be the receptacle of ne’er-do-wells from the royal family.”

“I think it’s a real shame,” says one resident enjoying a coffee in the Castle Rising tea room. “It’s almost like he’s being hidden up here.”

A fellow diner agrees. “It’s like: ‘Oh, where shall we put them? Sandringham.’ I don’t think he’ll come out. I think he’ll just hide away. It’s such a huge estate so it would be very silly to come out, wouldn’t it?” She hopes so, anyway. “I hope I don’t bump into him in the park.”

Lauren Mitchell, 34, braving the cold on a picnic bench outside the tea room, was “quite shocked” when she heard the news. “I definitely wouldn’t go and see him, and I hope not to see him. But if he’s sort of hidden away then …” What might the reaction be should someone spot him on the estate? “Probably not good,” she says.

A royal sighting is not uncommon in these parts. Most people here are used to seeing members of the royal family – the King included – out walking through the winter months, while younger members of the family, including the Prince and Princess of Wales and Zara Phillips, often pop into the pubs near the estate. And on Christmas Day, tourists and locals alike flock to Sandringham to wave them in and out of the church. In his old life, Mountbatten Windsor has himself been accustomed to being able to move through the land surrounding his home freely, and was often spotted out riding his horses in Windsor. Sprawling 20,000 acres, the Sandringham estate is vast, but it remains to be seen what sort of reception Andrew might get should he decide to venture outside the boundaries of his new home.

Jacqueline Hargreaves is walking her dog, Coco, through the woods on the estate. She has often seen members of the royal family here, out for a stroll. If she were to spot Andrew? “I’d just keep walking.”

Hargreaves, 73, has lived in the area for nearly 30 years. When she saw the news she was, to put it mildly, “not best pleased”. “We don’t want him here. What would we want him here for?

“[And] why would he want Sandringham? I mean he must be having a house on [the estate]. So as long as he keeps himself to himself that’s okay, and doesn’t bring any trouble here. Norfolk doesn’t need it. I don’t know why he doesn’t go to America, he quite likes it out there. Go and sit with Trump.”

It is a cold October day and the parkland around Sandringham House is filled with families entertaining children on half term and dog walkers taking advantage of a crisp morning. These paths are particularly familiar to Tom Neill, 70, a retired police officer who used to work in royal protection on the estate. “I just think how much is that going to cost to provide protection for him? Because he’s going to have it. I’ve got to be honest, that was my first thought.”

What sort of reception does he suspect he might get? “Not a very good [one] I would think in general. I mean, there are some people who are ardent royalists and the fact that he is – was – a royal, would still garner him some support. But in general I think no.”

Andrew will now live in what is described as a modest cottage on Sandringham Estate, pictured here in 2003. Photo / Getty Images

For his friend, Andrew Clifton, 64, it’s really a question of taste. “Is he someone we really want here?” he wonders.

Some can understand the conundrum. “Is there an appropriate place, really?” asks Amy Hudson, 47, owner of the Black Horse pub. “I don’t agree with anything he’s allegedly done, but what can you do?”

At the Rose and Crown in Snettisham, where the Prince and Princess of Wales have been known to drop by for a drink, there is some concern at the idea Sandringham’s newest resident might venture out for a pint. “Personally, I wouldn’t love it if he did come in after everything that’s come out,” says Harry Beck, 25, bar supervisor.

Kate Cook, 46, who also works at the pub, says local people are accustomed to the slight change in atmosphere when a member of the royal family appears. “We’re very used to the royals being around,” she says. “I believe the children have sailing lessons down at the beach. It’s all fairly usual to see a royal or two.” Zara Phillips often “just wanders in from the car park”. “You don’t tend to know [they’re coming]. You might notice a couple of extra Land Rover Discoveries about.”

Norfolk villagers aren’t thrilled about Prince Andrew’s move to Sandringham. Photo / Getty Images

She feels Andrew, however, would be well advised to keep away from the spotlight. “I think if he had any real sense of propriety he would maybe just keep himself to himself. If he had any level of respect for the public. But then, I don’t think he has any humility.”

And if he were to be spotted beyond the boundaries of the estate? “I would hope the worst it would get would be disdain, but it could end up with a bit of hectoring, which I wouldn’t condone.”

Back at the Black Horse, the ladies of the Castle Rising book club are pondering whether they would deign to pay Mountbatten Windsor the time of day should they come across him. One is a firm no. “I wouldn’t speak to him.” Another thinks one of the girls might not be able to stop herself from challenging him. In the end, they suspect the question is moot. “He wouldn’t have spoken to us anyway,” says Gill.

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