Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s nightmare is far from over – 2026 could change everything

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor had a nightmare year in 2025, and it seems 2026 may not be much different. Just months ago, the former prince was stripped of his royal titles and served an eviction notice on his 30-room Crown Estate home - all of which was as a result of scandals surrounding his past friendship with the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

While Andrew has always denied accusations against him, and continues to do so, the scandals began to threaten and overshadow the monarchy. So, what other choice was there but to essentially banish Andrew from any aspect of royal life?

Although the royal titles were removed from the former Duke of York immediately, no doubt a massive humiliation for him, the rest of his punishment is a bit more long-winded, with some unhappy days set to be ahead.

This is because 2026 is the year Andrew will have to wave goodbye to his Royal Lodge home for good, and instead set up his life again in a rumoured old farmhouse on King Charles’s Sandringham estate.

While there are worse things in the world than relocating, I think everything about the Royal Lodge move will be a nightmare for the prince, and 2026 could be even harder than last year for the former prince if he appears in any more Epstein files.

Why? Because if his name crops up in any more Epstein files, he may not only continue to be disliked by a vast majority of the public, but his daughters may also drift away from their father too.

While they may have shunned him on Christmas Day and opted to instead spend the festivities with the Royal Family, it is believed both Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie still currently speak to their father.

But if more and more accusations keep coming out, and more and more Epstein files have Andrew’s name in, will this contact with him continue? Or will there be a time when enough is enough, even if he is their father and denies all accusations?

Likewise, Andrew could also lose another close relationship this year, with that being the one he has with his ex wife Sarah Ferguson, which is already believed to be slightly rocky. This is because when he moves out of Royal Lodge, the home he has shared with Sarah, she will not be relocating with him.

Instead, it is believed she wants to find her own abode in the Windsor area.

By living apart, will this spell the end of the friendship the divorced couple have had for so long? Was it only the convenience of both living under the same roof that kept them in contact? Or will they still be, as Sarah once described them, the “happiest divorced couple in the world”? Time will tell for that one too.

While Andrew no doubt wants 2026 to be the year he puts the humiliation and shame of 2025 behind him, I think this could be easier said than done. Because for all we know, the former prince could face more hurdles over the next 12 months.