Ex-Prince Andrew Experiencing a "Grinch-Like" Last Christmas

Prince Andrew has grey hair and looks downcast as he wears a suit and stands in front of a hedge

(Image credit: Mark Kerrison/In Pictures via Getty Images)

The former Prince Andrew is reportedly "struggling" this holiday season. Having relinquished all of his official royal titles and agreed to move out of Royal Lodge in Windsor, the ex-Duke of York is going through some major changes. And according to multiple sources, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's residence has been taken over by a "Grinch-like mood" this Christmas.

Per the Daily Mail, 2025's holiday season is marred by Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson's royal demotions and uncertain futures. "There is definitely an end-of-era feel," a source told the outlet. "There's not much to celebrate at the moment."

Unlike previous years, it's alleged that Ferguson and Andrew's daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, "are not expected to join their banished parents on Christmas Day," the outlet reported. As a result, Beatrice and Eugenie's "old bedrooms, which in the past had their own Yuletide trees, have been left bare."

Royal Lodge exterior with deer — Beatrice and Eugenie "are not expected to join their banished parents on Christmas Day" at Royal Lodge.

Per the Daily Mail, "Yet another sign of the Grinch-like mood at Royal Lodge is the absence of a staff party this year."

Sources also told the outlet that Andrew allegedly "insists" on staff members calling him "sir," despite the loss of his official titles. "He is struggling to come to terms with his loss of status," the insider noted. "Some don't realize he still thinks he's a prince."

Prince Andrew holding hands with his daughters Eugenie and Beatrice at a memorial for Queen Elizabeth — "Some don't realize he still thinks he's a prince."

The report suggested that Andrew has been dealing with the loss of multiple royal artifacts, too, which have been housed at Royal Lodge for years. Now, staff from the Royal Collection Trust have apparently started evaluating the important items due to be removed from the property.

"A Royal Household lorry has already been seen removing items to a Windsor storage facility," the publication shared. "Andrew has been told he can't take any Crown-owned treasures when he moves to his new home."

Basically, life is unlikely to be the same for Andrew in 2026.

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Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.