According to a new report, following the latest drop of damning Epstein files regarding ex-Prince Andrew on January 30, on February 1, King Charles and Prince William had an “urgent discussion” that led to the man now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor leaving his 30-room mansion in Windsor, Royal Lodge, under the cover of darkness on February 2—ahead of schedule from when the former Duke of York was supposed to move to the Sandringham estate.

Speaking to The Daily Mail, a source said Andrew was “dispatched by car to the depths of Norfolk” in a move that was “hastily arranged and done under the radar, leaving Royal Lodge staff to pack up what remains of Andrew’s belongings.” Andrew had lived at Royal Lodge since 2003, with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, joining him there five years later in 2008.

Andrew is temporarily living at Wood Farm—a favorite spot of his late father Prince Philip’s—as he awaits renovations to be completed on Marsh Farm, which is set to be his new permanent residence. The King and the Prince of Wales were said to be incensed after pH๏τos emerged of Andrew riding on horseback at Windsor Castle, waving at bystanders as he drove away as if nothing had happened.

“Waving at the public harked back to his royal days when he was used to adulation and respect,” a source told The Daily Mail, adding that “Andrew is having difficulty acknowledging reality, and it was increasingly causing concern at the Palace—both as a sign of his mental state and because it wouldn’t play well with the public witnessing him still enjoying the trappings of royalty.”

With his Sandringham move, Charles reportedly feels as though he has no option other than to try to contain his younger brother, which The Times reported prompted the King to immediately “remove him from the public gaze” by “accelerating” the move to Sandringham.

“The King feels he has no other option than to provide for his brother, who will be privately funded on a private estate,” a palace source told the outlet. “Every time he’s tried to support himself by independent means, it has led to greater trouble. Containing him is the hope.” An insider added that the new Epstein revelations regarding Andrew were “shocking and distressing” for the King, who stripped Andrew of all of his royal тιтles and privileges in October.

Charles was heckled about Andrew during a public appearance in EsSєx on February 5, and a friend of the King’s told The Times, “The King is acutely aware of the public feeling. He doesn’t need to be heckled to understand the mood of the nation. Accelerating him out of Royal Lodge was another nod to show he gets it. A plan made is not the same as a plan enacted, and the King wanted that plan enacted ASAP.”

“The King feels that keeping his brother out of the public gaze and away from any kind of public expense is the right thing to do,” the insider added. “Andrew is no longer a burden on the public purse, and the King has done all he can to remove him from the public gaze—but the reality is, he can’t remove him from the public consciousness.”

The same week that her father relocated to Sandringham, Princess Eugenie was seen at a low-key appearance 3,000 miles away in Qatar. The younger daughter of Andrew and Sarah appeared at Art Basel 2026 in Doha, which she attended in her role as a director at the London art gallery Hauser & Wirth. Eugenie and her older sister Princess Beatrice “are still speaking to” their parents “and want to remain loyal to them,” royal commentator Richard Palmer told the BBC.

In public, though, they will keep their distance from them. “They need to separate themselves publicly from their parents, otherwise [they] risk the toxicity spreading further to them,” Palmer added.