Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s dogs are now being walked by staff after their owner has become a recluse.
The canine pack, which includes the fallen prince’s own Norfolk terriers as well as the two famous corgis he adopted from the Queen on her death, used to be given regular outings by their owner when he lived in Windsor.
But since he was evicted from Royal Lodge at the King’s insistence and moved to a farmhouse on the margins of the Sandringham estate, their disgraced owner has given up taking them out himself and relied on his staff instead.
The dogs were seen this week being walked along a path, beside horse paddocks, by a man who is believed to be a member of Andrew’s security team.
The mixed group of terriers and corgis are now thought to be taken on twice daily jaunts in this way while Andrew, 66, stays behind indoors, alone and out of sight.
After the late Queen died in 2022, her two corgis, Muick and Sandy, were adopted by Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who then lived with him, despite them already having five Norfolk terriers of their own.
Fergie was particularly proud of taking the two famous dogs on and would regularly share social media updates and pictures of the pair, whom she described as ‘national treasures’.
But Ferguson has not accompanied her ex to Norfolk; instead, she has gone into hiding at a series of secret locations abroad – so the former Duke is now their sole carer just at the point when his own life is imploding.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s dogs are now being walked by staff after their owner has become a recluse
The canine pack, which includes the fallen prince’s own Norfolk terriers as well as the two famous corgis he adopted from the Queen on her death, used to be given regular outings by their owner when he lived in Windsor
The late Queen’s beloved corgis – Muick and Sandy – on the day of her funeral on September 19, 2022
Andrew’s being confined indoors may also be semi-enforced: reports have suggested that Royal aides have banned Andrew from indulging his favourite outdoor pursuit, horse riding, anywhere on the 20,000-acre estate over fears that this would be ‘a bad look’.
The former prince has been seen many times walking his dogs in the past, particularly when he used to visit his late mother at Balmoral.
He also demonstrated his affection for his pets by using a photograph of the backside of one of his terriers as a humorous Christmas card in 2019.
But he appears to be letting his staff walk them instead at Sandringham, as he is so fearful of being photographed while out and about on the estate.
Instead, he seems to be spending his days inside his temporary new home at Wood Farm with most of the curtains closed and little to look forward to other than his weekly Waitrose food delivery.
Buckingham Palace released a statement last October confirming that the late Queen’s dogs would ‘remain with the family’ following news that Andrew was being ordered out of Royal Lodge at Windsor due to a series of scandals, including his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.
It was not clarified at the time whether it would be Andrew, Sarah, or their daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, who would continue to give the corgis a home.
But it now appears to be the case that they are living full-time with Andrew, keeping him company in his exile in Sandringham following his dramatic forced move from his palatial 30-room mansion.
The corgis were first seen being walked by one of Andrew’s staff in a paddock beside Wood Farm, soon after he arrived at the property under the cover of darkness more than three weeks ago.
But they have not been walked at the spot since then, and now appear to be being exercised at a far less visible location on a track, passing between another set of paddocks on the other side of Wood Farm and an area of woodland.
Disgraced former prince Andrew has given up taking them out himself and relied on his staff instead since he was evicted from Royal Lodge. He is seen here petting one of the royal corgis on the day of the Queen’s state funeral
Andrew is thought to have left Wood Farm twice since his arrival, with his first excursion being a trip out to inspect nearby Marsh Farm, which is undergoing renovation and is earmarked to be his permanent home.
He accessed the property by getting staff to drive him down a private track through the estate, so he did not have to go out on a public road.
The only other time he went out was when Thames Valley Police swooped on Wood Farm early last Thursday and arrested him on his 66th birthday on suspicion of misconduct in public office before taking him for questioning 40 miles away at the Police Investigation Centre in Aylsham.
His arrest followed suggestions in the latest drop of Epstein documents that he may have given confidential information to the late paedophile financier while he was acting as the UK’s trade envoy.
Andrew was released under investigation around 11 hours after his arrest and driven back to Sandringham by two of his guards in his personal Range Rover.
King Charles finally kicked his brother out of Royal Lodge just hours after he was bizarrely seen smiling and waving at the public amid continued outrage over his links to Epstein.
Andrew was seen cheerily greeting members of the public as he rode his horse near Royal Lodge on January 31 and was then seen waving while at the wheel of his Range Rover two days later.
Insiders suggested the photographs may have been the ‘final straw’ in what has been a turbulent few months for the shamed former royal.
They have claimed that being seen out in public with a smile on his face was not ‘appropriate behaviour’ amid growing revelations about his years of communication with Epstein, and accusations about his own sex life.
There has been no sign of Andrew’s favourite horse at Sandringham since his arrival on the estate, suggesting it is still in Windsor, where he was often seen riding it.
The Sun reported today that Andrew had been instructed by his aides not to go out riding at Sandringham
A source told the newspaper: ‘Since his arrest last week, he has been ordered not to go horse riding. It’s considered a bad look.
‘They don’t think he should be seen grinning and smiling on his horse like he was in Windsor.
‘But it was one of the few things he actually enjoyed doing, so what on earth is he going to do with his time?’
Andrew’s ex-wife Fergie was particularly proud of taking the two famous dogs on and would regularly share social media updates and pictures of the pair, whom she described as ‘national treasures’
MPs yesterday backed a motion from the Liberal Democrats calling for the release of documents on Andrew’s appointment as a UK trade envoy in 2001.
Trade minister Chris Bryant condemned the former prince’s ‘self-aggrandisement’, saying he was constantly engaged in a ‘self-enriching hustle’.
Ministers signalled they would not stand in the way of the move to shed light on a role that led to the royal being dubbed ‘Air Miles Andy’ due to frequent taxpayer-funded trips abroad.
As a result, the measure was ‘nodded through’ the chamber yesterday afternoon.
However, the government insists some documents will have to be held back due to the continuing police investigation.
The ferocity of the language from Sir Chris is highly unusual, as MPs have traditionally been discouraged from discussing the monarchy in the Commons chamber.
However, Speaker Lindsay Hoyle declared Andrew fair game as he was stripped of his prince and Duke of York titles last year after emails emerged that cast doubts over previous claims about when he cut ties with Epstein.
Taking advantage of the ruling, Sir Chris reminded the House that he had called for Mr Mountbatten-Windsor to be sacked as trade envoy more than a decade ago.
He described him as ‘a man on a constant self-aggrandising, self-enriching hustle’.
‘A rude, arrogant and entitled man who could not distinguish between the public interest which he said he served, and his own private interest,’ he added.
Andrew has denied any wrongdoing over his links to convicted sex offender Epstein, but has not directly responded to the latest allegations.
Lord Peter Mandelson was also arrested and later bailed on suspicion of the same offence.
On Tuesday, Lord Mandelson’s lawyers said in a statement that the 72-year-old had been arrested on Monday over a ‘baseless’ claim he was planning to leave the country.
His law firm Mishcon de Reya said: ‘Peter Mandelson was arrested yesterday despite an agreement with the police that he would attend an interview next month on a voluntary basis.
‘The arrest was prompted by a baseless suggestion that he was planning to leave the country and take up permanent residence abroad.
‘There is absolutely no truth whatsoever in any such suggestion.
‘We have asked the MPS for the evidence relied upon to justify the arrest.
‘Peter Mandelson’s overriding priority is to cooperate with the police investigation, as he has done throughout this process, and to clear his name.’
The former Labour minister has been accused of passing sensitive information to Epstein during his time as business secretary.
As part of the so-called Epstein files, emails from 2009 appear to show Lord Mandelson pass on an assessment by Gordon Brown’s adviser of potential policy measures including an ‘asset sales plan’.
He also appeared to discuss a tax on bankers’ bonuses and confirm an imminent bailout package for the euro the day before it was announced in 2010.
The emails appeared to be sent to Epstein after he became a convicted sex offender.
The Metropolitan Police declined to comment beyond their statement issued just after 2am on Tuesday, which read: ‘A 72-year-old man arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office has been released on bail pending further investigation.’
The force said later he has been bailed to the end of May.