The Palace announced that he would be moving from Royal Lodge in October, at the same time his title of prince was removed.
The Sandringham Estate is privately owned by the King and he will pay the costs of his brother’s new home. It is believed he will ultimately live at Marsh Farm on the estate.
The Andrew problem has been challenging for the Royal Family and, at times, decisions around how to handle the former prince have seemed slow and ineffective.
His lease of Royal Lodge had become symbolic of the wider problems his relationship with Epstein has caused. It raised questions about privilege, transparency and the use of public money.
It is hoped the move to Sandringham will be a decisive change that keeps Mountbatten-Windsor out of the public eye where possible.
Sources close to the Royal Family also say that although Mountbatten-Windsor’s poor judgement needed sanction, he does remain a member of the family and on a personal level there is a duty of care owed to him, hence the provision of a home in Norfolk funded by the King.
Mountbatten-Windsor, also formerly known as the Duke of York, is expected to return to Windsor over the next few weeks to collect the remainder of his belongings but his permanent base is now officially in Norfolk.
He was last seen in Windsor on Monday, riding on horseback close to his previous home. He was also photographed driving away from Windsor Castle waving at passers by.
The images were poorly received by the Palace.
A statement from Buckingham Palace about Royal Lodge in October said “formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease”.
It followed weeks of controversy over the amount of rent being paid to the Crown Estate who leased the property.
A National Audit Office report shows that when Mountbatten-Windsor took on the lease in 2003 he agreed to pay more than £8m – paying for repairs and effectively buying himself out of future rent obligations for the duration of the 75-year lease.
This deal was based on paying in advance a notional rent of £260,000 per year.
As part of the arrangement, Mountbatten-Windsor could have been entitled to £488,000 for an early surrender of his 75-year lease.
But a report from the Crown Estate for MPs on the public spending watchdog says the property is in need of so many repairs that in “all likelihood” he “will not be owed any compensation”.
Royal sources told the BBC in October that Mountbatten-Windsor’s move would be delayed until the new year to avoid the embarrassment of him being in Sandringham at Christmas – where the Royal Family traditionally gathers for the festive season.
Sandringham was bought in 1862 by the then Prince of Wales, who later became Edward VII, as a private country retreat.
The historic, sprawling estate spans approximately 31 sq miles (80 sq km) of gardens – making it around the same size as Nottingham.
