He was arrested on his 66th birthday, stripped of his titles, and forced out of Royal Lodge. Yet according to royal watchers, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor appears to be settling into his Norfolk exile with a degree of comfort that has surprised those following his spectacular fall from grace — and that now includes, it seems, a new romantic interest.

Royal expert Paula Froelich has claimed that the former Duke of York has been 'seeing a local woman in Norfolk', where he has been living at Marsh Farm on the grounds of King Charles's Sandringham estate since his departure from Royal Lodge. The revelation adds yet another unexpected twist to a story that shows no signs of slowing down.

Life in Exile — With an Eye on the Door

Marsh Farm may not have the grandeur of his former residence, but those close to the situation suggest Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has hardly adopted a low profile. An insider quoted by Froelich offered a pithy summary: 'It's very convenient.' Meanwhile, royal biographer Andrew Lownie — author of Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, widely described as the most devastating royal biography ever written — has painted a picture of a man seemingly unbowed by his circumstances.

'He's still doing business in the way he did before — he still thinks he's a hotshot businessman,' Lownie told Froelich on her YouTube channel.

Lownie has also noted that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been far from housebound. 'He's been staying with people — the papers have actually covered him going to Brittany. I'd heard that he'd gone to the south of France and was actually looking to buy property there, which doesn't suggest that he's worried about going to prison. There are stories of him going to Switzerland, even going to the Middle East,' Lownie said.

The Arrest That Shook the Palace

The backdrop to this latest chapter remains deeply serious. On 19 February this year — his 66th birthday — Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested by Thames Valley Police on suspicion of misconduct in public office, following the emergence of documents detailing communication between him and the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He was subsequently released under investigation and has not been charged. Misconduct in public office carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment if a conviction were to follow.

Andrew Mountbatten photographed through a car window, seated in the back of a vehicle with red-eye flash effect visible.

The palace confirmed it had not been informed of the arrest in advance. King Charles issued a measured but pointed statement shortly after: 'I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office. The law must take its course.'

'Let me state clearly: the law must take its course. As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter,' the King said.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.

The Book That Knew Too Much

Andrew Lownie, who was in the same year as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor at school and has spent years investigating the House of York, has emerged as one of the most authoritative — and controversial — voices on the story. His book Entitled, published last August and recently released in paperback, has been described as the most thorough examination yet of Andrew's time as a trade envoy and his relationship with Epstein, which Lownie argues was 'longer, closer and more significant than previously reported.'

Lownie also revealed in the book an alleged close relationship between Sarah Ferguson and convicted sex offender Sean Combs. Ferguson has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Woman in black dress and man in white suit with sunglasses, posing together at an indoor event.

The biographer has spoken candidly about the obstacles he faced while researching Entitled, including what he described as veiled threats. He claims Ferguson's camp sent threatening legal letters and warned him not to 'go out for walks on dark nights.' Ferguson has not commented publicly on that specific claim.

A Man Unmoved — For Now

Whether the apparent romance in Norfolk represents genuine happiness or simply an attempt to project normality, the image it conjures is a striking one: a man at the centre of one of the most serious royal scandals in living memory, apparently dating and travelling to France, while Thames Valley Police continue their investigation.

Top: man in blue shirt with young woman and dark-haired woman indoors; bottom: two men in dark jackets walking outdoors.
Prince Andrew was photographed with Virginia Giuffre — who was 17 at the time — and Ghislaine Maxwell, and later walking with Jeffrey Epstein in Central Park in 2010. Andrew settled a civil lawsuit brought by Giuffre in 2022 without admitting liability.

For a figure once described as one of the most protected men in Britain, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's current situation — living in a farmhouse on his brother's estate, released under investigation, and reportedly falling for a local woman — reads less like a fairy tale and more like a very peculiar kind of limbo. One that, by all accounts, he seems determined to endure on his own terms.