The former Prince Andrew was seen driving alone near Windsor Castle days after being excluded from the royal family’s Christmas celebrations, which his daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie attended without him.
On Dec. 29, King Charles’ younger brother, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor after his princely title was stripped in October, was photographed behind the wheel near Windsor Castle in Berkshire. The area is also home to Royal Lodge, Andrew’s longtime residence, which he has been ordered to vacate.
The directive for Andrew to leave Royal Lodge was announced alongside the removal of his royal titles and honors, a decision made amid renewed scrutiny of his ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In the newly released photograph, Andrew, 65, was wearing a blue parka and appeared to be looking out of the car window as he drove.
Andrew had also been seen driving toward Windsor Castle on Christmas Day, when he was notably absent from the royal family’s traditional Christmas gathering at Sandringham. According to a Dec. 29 report by the Daily Mail, the vehicle Andrew was driving was identified as a new Land Rover Defender. The outlet also reported that he was seen driving the same vehicle on Boxing Day, Dec. 26.
Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, were not expected to join the royal family at Sandringham this year following the stripping of his titles and the renewed public focus on his association with Epstein. Although divorced since 1996, Andrew and Ferguson, 66, have remained close and have continued living together at Royal Lodge in Windsor.
While Andrew remained in Berkshire, his daughters spent Christmas more than 140 miles away with the royal family in Sandringham. On Dec. 25, Princess Beatrice, 37, and Princess Eugenie, 35, attended the Christmas morning service at St. Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham Estate. They were accompanied by their husbands, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank, and joined senior members of the royal family, including King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Kate Middleton.
The sisters’ appearance came as a surprise following speculation that they might skip the holiday gathering altogether. In the lead-up to Christmas, Beatrice and Eugenie were understood to be weighing whether to accept the King’s invitation or spend the holiday with their parents. Their decision to walk to church with the royal family was widely seen as a sign of unity with the monarchy during a period of renewed scandal surrounding their father.
The timing of their appearance coincided with the release of new documents and photographs by the U.S. Department of Justice that resurfaced Andrew’s connections to Epstein. One black-and-white image showed Andrew reclining across the laps of several women inside the saloon at Sandringham House, where the royal family privately spends Christmas. The women’s identities were redacted, and convicted Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell was also visible in the photograph.
As Beatrice and Eugenie spent the holiday away from their parents, the Christmas period also marked Andrew’s final weeks at Royal Lodge. He and Ferguson have been ordered to vacate the property by Jan. 31, adding uncertainty around future family arrangements and fueling speculation about whether the sisters might choose to spend holidays at the Windsor residence instead of Sandringham.
In October, King Charles, 77, took the unprecedented step of stripping Andrew of his princely style, titles and honors amid a resurgence of public and political attention on his ties to Epstein. The American financier died in prison in August 2019 while awaiting federal sex trafficking charges.
Andrew’s fall from public life began after a widely criticized BBC Newsnight interview in November 2019, in which he discussed his relationship with Epstein. Following the broadcast, he stepped back from his role as a working royal but has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
In January 2022, Queen Elizabeth stripped Andrew of his remaining military titles and royal patronages after a judge refused to dismiss a sexual assault lawsuit filed against him by Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre. Andrew later settled the case out of court for an undisclosed sum. Giuffre died by suicide in April of this year.
Despite the ongoing fallout surrounding their father, PEOPLE understands that Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie’s royal titles and positions within the family remain unaffected.