LONDON, Nov 2, (AP): Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, the disgraced younger brother of King Charles III, is going into internal exile that will see him further hidden from view from a clearly angry British public. His ejection from the 30-room Royal Lodge on the grounds of Windsor Castle to one of the properties on the king's private estate at Sandringham in the east of England will symbolize the downfall of the one-time prince and duke.

Though he's lost his perks of title and status, Andrew, 65, will not be slumming it. But it is a banishment nonetheless that leaves Andrew increasingly exposed to scrutiny both in the UK and the US over his friendship with the deceased Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew denies allegations of improper behavior during his long friendship with Epstein, including from Virginia Roberts Giuffre.

Following years of scandals related to Andrew, Charles arguably took the biggest step of his reign Thursday by seeking to insulate the monarchy from any exposure emanating from Andrew's connections with Epstein, who took his own life in prison in August 2019 while awaiting trial on trafficking charges, more than a decade after his initial conviction.

Andrew has been given notice that his time at Royal Lodge, the mansion near Windsor Castle where he has lived for more than 20 years, is coming to an end. He signed a 75-year lease in 2003 with the Crown Estate, a portfolio of properties that is nominally owned, but not controlled, by the monarch. He invested a required 7.5 million pounds ($9.9 million) to refurbish the home and now resides there for the annual sum of a peppercorn, a symbolic figure often used to satisfy the legal requirement of real estate transactions.

His move won’t happen overnight. As everyone knows, moving house is an ordeal at the best of times, regardless of the size of the dwelling. It's certainly going to take Andrew, and whoever he can get to help him, a fair chunk of time to go through his belongings, decide what to take, give to charity or what to toss. There's also the little matter of divvying up possessions with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who has lived with Andrew at Royal Lodge since 2008, but who will not be moving on to Sandringham at Charles' expense.