Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is reportedly spending much of his time watching television and walking his dogs as he lives an increasingly isolated life at Marsh Farm. The former Duke of York has reportedly been described as lonely by his friends, and there are claims that he is no longer treated as a member of the Royal Family.
Daily routine revealed
Speaking on The Sun's Royal Exclusive podcast, former Sun royal correspondent Charles Rae and GB News royal correspondent Cameron Walker discussed how Andrew potentially spends his days. According to Walker, there is not much going on for Andrew, whose reputation collapsed following revelations about his close ties to the late paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Walker told the podcast: "I think there's not much going on. He watches load of TV, he watches loads of sports on television, sits there with his dogs, he doesnt get many visitors other than his protection officers...and occasionally maybe when he is a allowed he does a bit of horse riding, but then the optics of that are also appalling so it's just tricky for him."
Contact with the Royal Family
Andrew has reportedly remained in touch with his brother King Charles, who allegedly offered him to join the family on holiday at Balmoral. According to Rae, the invitation may have been motivated by the fact that Charles and Andrew are still brothers and Balmoral provides a relatively private setting.
However, as Rae pointed out, the family does not simply remain inside Balmoral but goes hiking and visits places where they can be seen by photographers. This makes other members of the family much more careful about any interactions to avoid a "PR blunder".
An example is a photograph from the Duchess of Kent's funeral in September last year, shortly before the Epstein files had surfaced. The photograph shows Andrew talking at Prince William, which caused evident discomfort in the Prince's face.
Calls for inquiry
For these reasons, Rae argued that there is nothing surprising about Andrew feeling like an outcast, despite reportedly remaining in contact with his brother, King Charles.
It comes as calls grow for a national public inquiry into alleged links between Andrew, Peter Mandelson and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with campaigners arguing that current investigations have slowed down.
A spokesperson for the UK Epstein Survivors Campaign said: "If there has ever been an opportunity to finally secure the truth and justice that survivors have been denied for so long, we believe that opportunity exists now under Prime Minister Andy Burnham."
