The Prince and Princess of Wales moved into their latest “forever home” Forest Lodge around Halloween. They were MIA for several weeks, given their kids’ school vacation, and they used that time to move into Forest Lodge. Kate is apparently enjoying decorating her latest home, and they’ve hijacked 150 acres of public park to give themselves a proper “manor” experience. They also evicted a bunch of tenants around Forest Lodge too. The British press is itching to talk about how crazy this is, but they feel like they can’t go too hard on William and Kate. There have already been stories where random people who pay to access Windsor Great Park are absolutely furious at Will & Kate’s “selfish” land-grab. The land-grab and the enhanced security measures are a huge inconvenience for locals. Speaking of:
For many, going to pick out a tree is one of the best festive traditions. But for families hoping to get theirs at a shop close to the Prince and Princess of Wales’ new Windsor mansion – it might turn into a nightmare before Christmas this year.
The Christmas Tree Shop, which opened on Thursday, traditionally sits on land next to the Waleses’ new house. Its trees are grown on the estate and they attract hundreds of punters every year in the run up to December 25.
But access routes have been limited to prevent people from driving right in front of the royal eight-bedroom home, which the family relocated to from nearby Adelaide Cottage. Cars now face being diverted around a new circular route – more than a mile detour in all. Traffic cones have been placed to ensure shoppers obey the new rules. The temporary road layout seems to have brought chaos, however.
A local resident said: ‘I have already seen a few near misses where people have driven the wrong side of the cones.’
Two royal security officers have also been stationed in the shop’s car park to prevent intruders during operating hours.
Another resident said: ‘A car was parked and running both days with what looked like two plain-clothes officers inside to prevent anyone going into the lodge’s grounds. The shop is right next door, so it is not surprising the Waleses are keeping an extra eye out in case anyone is tempted to take a peek.’
If Will & Kate had bought a private property and security was enforcing the property they actually owned, I wouldn’t have a problem with anything being done. But the fact that this is on the Windsor estate, the fact that they grabbed public park land, the fact that they’ve shut down at least one of the park entrances, and the fact that they’re now causing chaos for regular people simply trying to buy Christmas trees, well… it’s coming across as arrogant and entitled.
A few weeks ago, various outlets were making a big deal about how much Forest Lodge would be worth in the open market: £16 million, or approximately 60 times the value of the average British home. Again, the more I think about it, the weirder this Forest Lodge move is. Why didn’t they just buy a private home or lease another royal property which already had a security zone?
Photos and screencaps courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Kensington Palace & AppleTV+.
