Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who rarely leaves his new home on the Sandringham estate, was spotted breaking cover to attend the Sandringham Horse Driving Trials, which was also attended by the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh
Andrew spotted at the Sandringham Horse Driving Trials on Sunday(Image: Bav Media)
Disgraced Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been spotted on a rare public outing – joining the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh at a horse trials event.
The former Duke of York was seen at the Sandringham Horse Driving Trials on the King’s Norfolk estate – close to where he now lives in exile at Marsh Farm. He rarely leaves the confines of his home and is usually only spotted in public walking his dogs close to his new property.
However, on Sunday, he was seen driving his Land Rover Defender away from the event, where his brother Prince Edward had been cheering on his wife Sophie, who was competing.
It is said the ex-prince, whose previous mystery bruise on his face has cleared up, watched as Sophie took part in the SanDrivingHam Challenge, which aims to showcase the skill of the driver, groom, and passengers. He is believed to have watched the action in a secluded area away from the main arena.
An onlooker told the Sun: “Andrew sneaked in and sneaked out and definitely didn’t want to be seen. “But I saw Andrew leave the field at 10.30am, just after Sophie had ridden her round, then I saw Edward walking towards his car, smiling shortly afterwards.”
In April, it was claimed that Edward and Sophie became the first royals to visit Andrew at Marsh Farm after he was booted out of his 30-room Royal Lodge mansion in Windsor. The visit was described as a “brotherly welfare check”.
Edward was also the first member of the Royal Family to publicly speak out on the Epstein scandal that has engulfed his brother, saying it’s “really important always to remember the victims”. He made the remarks back in February when he was asked about it during an appearance on a panel at a conference in Dubai.
At the summit, he was asked “how are you coping” amid the release of the new files. And Edward said: “Well, with the best will in the world, I’m not sure this is the audience that is probably the least bit interested in that.
“They all came here to listen to education, solving the future, but no, I think it’s all really important always to remember the victims and who are the victims in all this? A lot of victims in this.”
Andrew’s outing comes amid claims that the former Duke, who was arrested on his 66th birthday on suspicion of misconduct in a public office, is feeling more “isolated than ever”. He was stripped of all his royal titles last October after more amid the growing controversy over his links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew denies any wrongdoing.
Earlier this month, the Royal Family was out in force for the annual Order of the Garter ceremony at Windsor Castle. It saw the likes of the King, Queen and Prince William process through the castle grounds in white plumed hats and dark blue velvet robes, before attending a special service at St George’s Chapel.
The former Duke of York had been a member of the order and had previously joined in the procession and festivities. In recent years, after he was forced to quit public life, he still quietly attended the pre-ceremony lunch for Garter Knights and Ladies and the investiture, which takes place behind closed doors.
However, this year, he did not appear in any party of the day, having been stripped of his membership of the Order at the same time the King took away all his other royal titles.
And a source told the Daily Express, on days such as these, it hammers home how far the ex-prince has fallen. They said: “He’s become used to watching his family celebrate Trooping without him, but Garter Day will be a really tough day for him. It’s one of those days that reminds him of all that he’s lost. He’s feeling more isolated than ever; he’s completely alone.”
It also came just a day before it emerged that he was able to rake in cash by sub-letting three cottages in the grounds of Royal Lodge – despite paying just a peppercorn rent for his former home.
The lease for his previous Windsor estate allowed him to rent out three of the eight buildings that were within the grounds in a private deal between him and the tenants – and pocket the income himself.
However the deal, which one expert called outrageous, has been shrouded in mystery as there is no clarification on how much money the ex-prince made through subletting or how long they were sublet out for.
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