Residents and tourists react at former prince Andrew being set to move to Sandringham Estate
Some want him locked up, others say he has learned his lesson - here is the public’s reaction to a disgraced royal’s move to Sandringham.
Yesterday, an announcement from Buckingham Palace revealed that the former Prince Andrew - now known simply as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor - will be leaving his mansion, the Royal Lodge, after being stripped of his title.
This comes after allegations that the now deceased Virginia Giuffre was forced to have sex with him while she was a teenager, as well as rising frustration over Andrew’s ties to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The Lynn News spoke to members of the public around the Sandringham Estate to gauge their reactions to the relocation, with Andrew set to move in at some point early in the new year…
Ralph Parry, who was walking his dogs on the estate, believes Andrew could be heading for Wood Farm, which was home to the late Prince Philip.
“That’s the most out of the way place,” he said.
“I’m not really a royalist - in fact I’m probably a mild republican - but I think he’s been a naughty boy and he needs to take his medicine.”
Eva Howes, 85, who was out shopping in Dersingham, less than five minutes away, was outraged by the news.
“I’ve just bought a paper, and I said to the girls, ‘What the hell do we want him here for?’
“Will he have to do shopping in local shops? Well, I hope to Christ I don’t bump into him.”
She explained how she had “always been a royalist” but cannot help but feel sorry for Virginia Giuffre.
“He should end up in prison - any normal person would,” she added.
However, there were some who did not seem bothered by the news.
One Dersingham cyclist, who asked not to be named, had no problem with Andrew being housed in Sandringham.
“We’re royalist people here, so I absolutely do not see him as a threat at all,” she said.
Referring to King Charles, she added: “It’s family. Regardless of your position, it’s your brother.
“He’s coming, and I can’t foresee him being disruptive to village life.”
Another shopper, Andrew Whiting, did not have an opinion on the allegations - but admitted: “It puts a bit of a downer on Sandringham.”
“I’m not worried about him. It’s all news - there are two sides to the story,” he said.
For some, it was the first that they heard of the move.
Sophie, 41, who was visiting Sandringham from Sedgeford, and did not wish to give her last name, said she knew Andrew had been “de-princed”, but nothing else.
“I can’t get too excited about it. He has to live somewhere, and I think this is their privately owned property, so this is their home,” she said.
“Actually, in some senses, polluting their own home with Andrew rather than someone else’s home does make sense.”
She has two children aged five and eight, but had no concerns about their safety and said Andrew “should’ve learned any lessons”.
“I have a bit of sympathy for the Royal Family. It’s quite a hard position they’re in,” she added.
“But I don’t regard Andrew as some kind of terrifying predator.”
Another who had only just heard the news was Pauline Clarke, an estate visitor from Warwickshire.
“When we drove past one of the towers, we did joke and say ‘I wonder if that’s where he will be moved to’ - so that’s our thoughts really,” she said.
But regardless of the opinions on the allegations, one thing was for certain - people are not being put off a trip to the estate.
Paul Cray, who had come to Sandringham from outside of Norfolk, said: “It wouldn’t affect whether I came here or not.
“There are people who have memberships here, so I imagine people might think twice about getting one or renewing it.
“But even if you were here, he would feel so far removed from the reality of what you experience.”
His wife, Michelle Cray, added: “I can’t imagine he would be walking around.
“I guess if it’s someone who lives locally, you would feel more strongly about it.
“It’s such a lovely place to come when you have little children, but it might feel different to someone who uses Sandringham an awful lot.”