Downfall of the House of York
Bulldozers raze Andrew and Fergie’s derelict mansion
IT WAS the wedding present from the Queen that fell into rack and ruin. And now, after being derelict for the past eight years, the muchderided ‘Tesco-style’ mansion Sunninghill Park, which became a symbol of the Duke of York’s failed marriage to Sarah Ferguson, is being demolished.
Teams of workmen were at the site last week and were spotted in cherry-pickers removing red clay tiles before bulldozers moved in.
The operation had been delayed while alternative roosts were found for at least 100 bats which had been seen around the building and emerging from holes in the roof.
The Berkshire mansion was given to Prince Andrew and his bride following their wedding in 1986. The property was dubbed South York by critics because of its resemblance to oil baron JR Ewing’s tasteless ranch Southfork in TV soap Dallas.
In 2007 the Duke sold the house to Kazakh tycoon Timur Kulibayev for £15million – £3million more than the asking price, even though it had languished on the market for more than five years. The deal led to accusations that Andrew was cashing in on his Royal links.
The Prince, who has always denied any impropriety, is a friend of Mr Kulibayev’s father-in-law, Kazakhstan president Nursultan Nazarbayev, who has been embroiled in accusations of corruption in the former Soviet republic. Andrew met the president through his former role as a UK global trade ambassador but has since visited the country privately, joining Mr Nazarbayev on goose-hunting expeditions.
It was suggested at the time that Mr Kulibayev’s former mistress, Goga Ashkenazi – a close friend of Andrew – helped secure the sale.
More questions were asked when Sunninghill Park was left to rot by its new owners. But last week The Mail on Sunday witnessed the start of the complex operation – expected to take at least two years – to knock down the existing structure and build a bigger house on the site, which is set in more than 600 acres next to Windsor Great Park.
One worker said: ‘The tiles aren’t made any more so they’ll be sold on, but I don’t think much else will be salvaged. It wasn’t finished to a very high standard, despite it being built for the Royals.’
Another worker said: ‘The new house is going to be ostentatious, with a baroque feel. No expense is being spared. Everything is top quality, with lots of marble.’ The rebuild has been designed by architects HOK, which was responsible for the BBC’s New Broadcasting House. A spokesman for the firm said: ‘We have signed a non-disclosure agreement and must respect our client’s privacy.’