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Former Prince Andrew’s exit from Royal Lodge is reportedly forcing him to leave behind more than just his Windsor home. The Times reports that now that Andrew has moved to a new home of the Sandringham estate, a number of historical items are expected to be returned to the Royal Collection Trust.
Among the things that needs to be returned is the ceremonial sword that has become known because of one of the most famous royal stories involving Princess Beatrice and singer Ed Sheeran.
Beatrice Supposedly Cut Ed Sheeran’s Face While Knighting James Blunt
The reported return of the sword comes months after Andrew was moved out of Royal Lodge as King Charles III’s tries to restructure the royal property and who lives in them after he took away all of Andrew’s titles and removed him from royal duties.
A lot of the collection consists of paintings, historical photographs and other royal family artifacts, but there is one object that still continues to start conversations because of the story that goes with it.
The sword first made news headlines in 2016 after some outlets claimed that Princess Beatrice had accidentally cut Ed Sheeran’s face while pretending to knight James Blunt during a gathering at Royal Lodge.
The tale had all the makings to spread quickly and became one of the royal family’s most widely repeated celebrity stories.
James Blunt Shared The Truth About The Sword
Years later, however, Blunt has denied that it ever happened. The singer spoke to Shortlist and insisted the story was false and had been made up.
“Ed was drunk, messing around and he cut himself,” Blunt said. “We made a fancy story up; people fell for it.”
He later doubled down when he appeared on another show and joked that Beatrice would hardly make such a mistake because “she is a princess and would be rehearsed and practiced in these matters.”
Even though the famous story has long been questioned, the sword itself apparently stayed inside Royal Lodge until Andrew’s left his previous home in February.
Now, it is among several items expected to be returned to the Royal Collection Trust, which manages items that are held by the royal family on behalf of the UK and not as personal possessions.
The sword isn’t the only item being returned, with other pieces set to leave the residence including a 19th-century portrait of Eugénie, who was the Empress of the French, as well as historic photographs taken by Cecil Beaton, the royal photographer.
Andrew leaving Royal Lodge happened during one of the most difficult times of his life.
After Andrew was stripped of his royal titles and removed from official royal duties, he moved to a private residence on the Sandringham estate, where he apparently now lives with his former wife, Sarah Ferguson.
In a few short months, Andrew’s life has dramatically changed from a royal to living on an estate belonging to his brother. The former duke is also being investigated, is under constant scrutiny, and now he needs to return historic memorabilia that was once part of his home.
