Andrew’s forced removal to the estate comes after years of scandal tied to his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. It was at Sandringham, during a shooting weekend in 2000, that Andrew hosted Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell – an event now seen as the beginning of his downfall. Insiders say Charles also wanted to “banish” Andrew to a spot that would forever remind him of the source of his disgrace.

Within months of the shooting meet, Andrew was photographed alongside Maxwell and Virginia Giuffre, then 17, who later accused him of sexual assault, which he has denied. His attempts to defend himself, most infamously in a disastrous 2019 BBC Newsnight interview, only deepened his disgrace.

Following the publication of Giuffre’s new memoir and renewed calls for legal action in the UK, the King reportedly decided to “draw a final line.”

Another insider said: “Charles views Sandringham as poetic justice. It’s the site where Andrew’s downfall started, and now it’s where it should finish. The place drips with royal history and misfortune. The message couldn’t be clearer – this is where he belongs, and this is where he’ll disappear.”

The exile also places Andrew uncomfortably close to Prince William, 43, and Princess Kate, 43, who keep their country home, Anmer Hall, on the same estate. Courtiers say William has been one of Andrew’s fiercest critics and pushed hard for his exclusion from royal life.

“William prefers to keep his distance, but being nearby only deepens the sting,” said a palace aide. “Andrew has to live with the fact that his neighbor is the man who helped bring down his royal standing – and who will eventually own the estate he’s been exiled to.”