Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's former home, Royal Lodge, had a rich history long before he moved in in 2004.
While it is well known that the sprawling 30-room home is where Andrew's late mother Queen Elizabeth II spent much of her childhood with her sister Princess Margaret, it is not as well-documented that it acted as the backdrop for royal engagement pictures.
After Margaret announced her plans to marry photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1960, the happy couple held a photocall at Royal Lodge. The betrothed showed off her floral engagement ring - a ruby surrounded by diamonds designed to look like a rose in honour of Princess Margaret’s middle name - in the 98-acre private grounds within Windsor Great Park.
Dressed in a grey cropped jacket and pleated skirt, Margaret admired pink flowers in the garden before posing alongside her new fiancé and the Queen Mother on a stone wall.
© Getty ImagesMargaret and Anthony soon moved the photoshoot inside, where they posed in a room with a large tapestry hanging from the grey and pink engraved walls. Floor-to-ceiling windows flooded the space with natural light, which accounted for the moody colour scheme, while a wooden desk topped with personal photo frames suggests the room was used as an office space.
© Getty ImagesOther photos show the couple perched on a brown leather seat with a delicate tree in the background, standing in front of an elaborate fireplace and reading papers at the desk, offering a rare look inside Royal Lodge.
'Small' engagement ring
© Getty ImagesMargaret and Antony met at a dinner party in 1958, and they reportedly began dating when Antony was commissioned to photograph the royal. The pair kept their romance private until they announced their engagement.
© Getty ImagesLady Margarita later described Margaret's ring as "very small" and "eccentric" during an interview with Tatler. "[It was] very simple and very small and I think that’s probably what he wanted, nothing crazy and overstated."
She added: "It’s timeless," which was only proven by the fact that Sarah Ferguson and Princess Eugenie went on to sport similar floral engagement rings.
Royal Lodge history
The Grade-II listed property was the Queen Mother's grace and favour residence from 1952 until her death in 2002.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor moved in two years later. He shared the property with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, and their two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, who both used the £30 million family home for their wedding receptions.
© Getty ImagesAfter tying the knot to Jack Brooksbank at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in 2018, Eugenie invited Ayda Field, Robbie Williams, Ellie Goulding and more celebrities to the evening celebrations in a marquee decorated with deep orange, red and yellow flowers.
Two years later, Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi followed their intimate pandemic wedding at The Royal Chapel of All Saints with an outdoor reception for 14 people. A marquee named 'The Duke of York' was filled with sofas, a jukebox, draft beer and a dartboard, and they even hired a bouncy castle and glamping pods for guests.
Despite its rich family history, Royal Lodge was thrust into the spotlight following controversy over Andrew's friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. On 17 October 2025, it was announced that he would renounce his royal titles and honours, and he relinquished his Crown Estate lease for Royal Lodge and moved onto the monarch's Sandringham estate on 2 February 2026.
Buckingham Palace's official statement read: "His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence. Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation. These censures are deemed necessary, even though he continues to deny the allegations against him."
When Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on 19 February, his 66th birthday, Royal Lodge was subject to a police search.
