Paranoid Andrew 'demands daughters report back to daddy' on royals' view of him - The Mirror

Beatrice and Eugenie opted to spend Christmas with the royal family at Sandringham - and it was likely their disgraced father who encouraged them to head to the gathering, according to experts

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were all smiles when they stepped out with the royal family on Christmas morning. There had been much speculation as to where the sisters would spend the day.

Some suggested they might quietly visit their disgraced parents at Royal Lodge, while others thought they might go to their respective in-laws, avoiding the issue altogether. But they decided to head to Sandringham for the official royal celebrations, hosted by the King. Speaking on the Sun's Royal Exclusive show, royal expert Ingrid Seward said the pair were encouraged to stay close to their family during the festive period by their father.

She said: "I don’t think Beatrice and Eugenie had a choice. Andrew said to them, you have to go. Because he wants to keep a foot in. A, he wants to know what’s going on. B, he'd want to know what people were saying about him.

"And he's always said that, and Fergie has said, 'The girls are my passport’. They are Andrew's only passport into the royal family now. And I'm absolutely sure that he persuaded them. And they might have said, 'Oh, Papa, we want to be with you'. And he'd said, 'no, I want you to go there. That's what's going to make me happy.'"

Fellow royal commentator Charlie Ray, added: "Andrew wants to keep an eye on what's going on. He's not invited, so he’s not at the table any more. So one of the first things that would have happened when they got back would be Andrew would be on the phone saying, 'right, who said what?'"

Andrew cut a solitary figure on Christmas Day. He was seen driving himself out of his estate in Windsor, wrapped in a scarf and casual waterproof. The countdown is on until he is forced to vacate Royal Lodge, having been forced to give up the lease of the 30-room mansion Royal Lodge given the latest revelations about his association with billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

While it was initially thought Andrew would leave at the start of 2026, it is now believed he will have been evicted by Easter, when the royal family traditionally gather on the Windsor estate - perhaps to avoid further awkward encounters.

However, new reports suggest Andrew could potentially be left temporarily homeless because a new home in Norfolk "may not be ready" in time to receive him. According to the Daily Mail, the King's younger brother is set to make his new home at the five-bedroomed Marsh Farm in Sandringham. But it is considered 'quite small' and needs a 'lot of work doing on it' to make it habitable and secure before he can move in.

As a result, Andrew could be left without a place to stay for a period of time. A source told Rebecca English, "The plan is that he will not be at Royal Lodge by Easter. But might there need to be an interim measure [as regards moving to Norfolk]? Possibly."

It seems unlikely that Andrew will be allowed to stay in Windsor during the interim period. "The royals are hoping to draw a line under the Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor controversy in 2026," biographer Robert Jobson said. "Whether it ends the lurid speculation about him, only time will tell, but it is doubtful."

Marsh Farm is around seven miles from the main Sandringham House and it's said a no-fly zone over Sandringham has been extended to include the property.The much smaller property has a main house, but the two reception rooms and kitchen are said to need major renovations. And a royal insider has told The Express that due to the work needed, it is holding up proceedings - especially as Andrew is resisting a temporary move to another property in the meantime.

They said: "Six months of works are needed before Andrew can move in and he’s strongly resisting plans to live in a temporary property until the renovations are complete - not least because the suggested property is a fraction of the size of Royal Lodge."

At the end of October, the King officially stripped his disgraced brother Andrew of his HRH style and his prince title, and removed his dukedom from the Roll of the Peerage over his "serious lapses" of judgment. The move followed the publication of a posthumous memoir by Andrew's accuser, Virginia Giuffre, and the US government’s release of documents from Epstein's estate.

It emerged that Andrew had emailed Epstein in 2011 saying "we're in this together", three months after he claimed he had broken all contact with the paedophile. Andrew continues to deny all wrongdoing.