It felt like people in the Windsor area were already suspicious of the Prince and Princess of Wales’s move to their latest “forever home,” Forest Lodge. The Wales family is upgrading to the eight-bedroom manor house after living in Adelaide Cottage for three years. I get that Adelaide was always supposed to be a temporary solution for William and Kate’s housing needs and their dislike of living in London. But this Forest Lodge move has been a goldmine for bad press about Will and Kate. The latest issue is that Will and Kate allegedly need to carve out a 150-acre “no go” zone within Windsor Great Park, all for “security” and “an uninterrupted view.” That 150-acre land grab is a hugely popular part of the park, and locals pay about $150 a year for access. The Forest Lodge move also means that a certain gate to the park is now closed, which means paying park-goers now have to take a different route, miles away, without any guarantee of parking spaces. Well, the Telegraph has a new story about how the locals feel about all of this.
Forest Lodge is located in a large area of parkland south of Windsor Castle that has been part of the royal estate since the 14th century, it is a haven for dog walkers, cyclists and ramblers, who roam its woods and gently sloping grassland. So it came as a shock last week when visitors to the park’s Cranbourne Gate came across a sign informing them that the entrance and its car park had been shut with immediate effect, to accommodate a 2.3-mile, 150-acre fenced exclusion zone being created around Forest Lodge, complete with state-of-the-art CCTV and new hedges designed to meet the royals’ desire for privacy. According to reports, anyone found trespassing within the new area risks immediate arrest.
While broadly positive about the royal presence, visitors to the park say they are frustrated at the new restrictions and the lack of communication. Previously, residents living within half a mile of the site had been able to hold keys to the gate for a fee of £110 a year, and there was a popular Christmas tree shop within the excluded area. Rumours of possible changes had been spreading since the Waleses’ move was announced, but there was no public consultation about access to the park being permanently retracted. Instead, plans drawn up by the Home Office under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (2005), which protects land belonging to the King and his immediate heir, were signed off by the Royal Household and Thames Valley Police. It was only in the week of September 22 that Windsor Great Park wrote to those who pay for car park access, informing them of “important changes to access”.
“I’m pretty angry about it,” says Robin Paulson, who has been riding in the grounds for years. “I think there are lots of other places they could have gone to live. I was excited when I heard they were moving there, but I always wondered how they would manage the security. They haven’t given us any warning or notice. And there hasn’t been any explanation other than it’s for security. I understand that, but it is disappointing when we have enjoyed the space for so long and it has been taken away from us. I wrote to Clarence House, but I don’t expect a reply.”
One of the affected areas is the South Forest. “There could have been a way to keep certain parts open, even if it was restricted in areas,” she says. “We’ll live with it. We’ll make it work. But it is disappointing.”
Others wonder about the knock-on effects in the area. “It is a bit of a shock,” says Linda Jay, who has been walking in the park for more than 20 years. “In one respect you say it’s the Royal Park and [the Prince and Princess of Wales] are entitled to be where they want. But it’s a change. For those who have been coming for so long, you get used to something and then you can’t do it anymore.”
Although it might feel as though the Royal family has an inviolable right to Windsor Castle and its surroundings, today the park and Forest Lodge are owned by the Crown Estate, a public body that pays revenue to the Treasury. The public is used to having the run of the place.
Some fear that closing the Cranborne Gate car park risks the remaining car parks becoming overcrowded at the weekend. “There’s plenty of space during the week but during the weekend, when working families with children come to visit, there is no room,” says one woman, who chose not to give her name but comes to the park twice a week to walk her dog.
“[The Royal family] encourage us to go out in the fresh air, and then they’re restricting us. It’s hypocritical,” she continues. “I’m totally in favour of protecting the Royal family against idiots who might try to shoot at them or take photographs. But the house is very far away, they’ve put a huge fence around it and there are lots of cameras in the fields. We’re not impressed, I’m afraid.”
“I think most people who live in Windsor are OK with the monarchy, and having them live around the area,” says Macca Sherifi, a resident who runs Windsor Uncovered, a local travel blog. “But a number of us locally have been affected by the new boundaries,” adds Sherifi, who jogs in Windsor Great Park. “Routes that many people have used for years have suddenly been blocked off with little communication or consultation. I know a lot of walkers and joggers are really frustrated with the decision. It’s not so much the security measure itself that people are questioning, but the lack of clarity and transparency about why specific paths were chosen and whether any alternatives will be provided. It feels like a public right of way has quietly become off-limits without explanation.”
The whole thing feels so high-handed and out-of-touch by Will and Kate. Their August announcement tried to make it sound like they were making the move with careful consideration, and that they weren’t looking to cause a big disruption at any level. Then we quickly learned that they evicted paying tenants from the cottages close to Forest Lodge, and now this 150-acre catastrophe which cuts off a huge chunk of park access. It feels like W&K actually didn’t think this through at all, and they’re walking all over the peasants with absolutely no regard. The bit about the hypocrisy is fascinating too, because Kate can’t shut up about how people need to get outside and take hikes around their grand estates. Oh, wait, no one can take walks anymore because you shut down the park! All of this is even more wild when you consider just how many available royal residences there are which would need fewer security upgrades.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
