Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor: Disgraced former prince made to follow King’s belittling rules after arrest

In yet another blow to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the disgraced former prince is being made to follow belittling rules after his arrest.

Andrew was arrested on his 66th birthday on suspicion of misconduct in public office. After 11 hours of questioning and a continued search of both Sandringham and the Royal Lodge, he was released pending further investigation.

But while he’s a sitting duck at his isolated cottage at Wood Farm, Andrew is being treated like a child.

His attempts to stay out of the public eye amid the scandal have largely been futile, but he was pictured slumped and shocked in the backseat of his Range Rover after leaving the police station on February 19.

Although he hasn’t been caught on a camera lens since then, his life behind closed doors has not stayed as secret as he might hope.

According to The i Paper, Andrew’s movements are completely controlled by his brother King Charles.

He is reportedly not allowed to leave the Sandringham estate without explicit permission and a chaperone - much like a child.

The ex-duke is also not allowed to have visitors unless they are approved well in advance. Though Andrew has not been charged, it appears the palace is motivated to treat him as such.

Though he isn’t precluded from visitors entirely, it seems he has been abandoned by his family - with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson long gone and holed up in Switzerland, while his daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and their young children remain out of the picture.

Other reports indicate Princess Beatrice in particular has been struggling in private since the most recent disclosure of the Epstein files.

It also seems Andrew’s palace imposed conditions are harsher than those convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein was subject to when he was under court-ordered house arrest in 2009.

At that time, he was restricted to his Palm Beach mansion, but was allowed out during the day. Convicted of soliciting sex from a minor, Epstein enjoyed day trips to New York and his private island in the Caribbean while under watch by state paid probation officers.

Andrew has also been banned from partaking in one of his long-held hobbies - horse riding.

Royal aides have told him to hang up his saddle and bridle, fearing that him being seen grinning while out horse riding would be a “bad look”.

Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, and said he regretted their friendship.