The Prince and Princess of Wales have provoked fury among some residents in their local community with a massive ‘no-go zone’ set to be imposed around their new ‘forever home’ Forest Lodge.
The exclusion zone will span approximately 150 acres, with those who venture beyond ominous ‘no trespassing’ signs facing immediate arrest, The Sun reported.
The 2.3-mile perimeter is intended to keep William, Kate and their three children George, 12, Charlotte, ten, and Louis, seven, safe once they move into the eight-bedroom property.
The family have been living in the Grade II listed Adelaide Cottage in Windsor Home Park since August 2022.
However, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are looking for a fresh start after several difficult years there, which included both Kate and the King being diagnosed with cancer.
Adelaide Cottage is within easy distance of Lambrook School, where Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis are all pupils.
It is believed the move out of London was to allow the family to be closer to the late Queen and to give the children a more ordinary way of life with more privacy.
But the move coincided with a challenging period for the Royal Family, with Queen Elizabeth dying at Balmoral Castle only weeks later.
The Home Office is to create a 150 acre exclusion zone around Forest Lodge (pictured), the eight-bedroom mansion set to be home to the Prince and Princess of Wales
Prince William and Princess Kate are set to move their family from Adelaide Cottage and make Forest Lodge their new ‘forever home’ by the end of the year
Forest Lodge is a considerable upgrade from the cosy four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage, which has been home to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during challenging times including Kate and the King’s cancer diagnoses and the death of Queen Elizabeth II
Adelaide Cottage also provided a private and tranquil setting for Kate’s recovery from chemotherapy after she was diagnosed with cancer last year.
The family has no live-in staff at their current home and this is also reportedly set to be the case once they move into this bigger abode.
The new property, Forest Lodge, is only four miles away from Adelaide Cottage.
The Grade II listed Georgian property, nestled in a secluded spot inside the 4,800-acre Windsor Great Park, comes complete with Venetian windows and a hallway with a barrel-vaulted ceiling.
Forest Lodge also offers spectacular views and football fanatic William will be able to see the Wembley Arch from his bedroom window.
Kate has already been spotted picking new furniture to kit out the new abode, including a 24-seater table.
The new exclusion zone will be enforced via measures including state-of-the-art CCTV.
Home Office plans have also seen an imposing wooden perimeter fence erected, along with landscaping to provide privacy for Kate and William.
The proposals will see the area around Forest Lodge become a designated property under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (SOCPA) 2005.
Security minister Dan Jarvis’s order, which came into force on Sunday, gives officers the power to arrest trespassers and is intended to act ‘as a deterrent for incursions’.
Work has already begun at the Grade-II listed lodge to make the property private and secure for the Duke and his family
However, the new plans have not gone down well with all local residents, many of whom will see substantial changes to their access arrangements.
A car park is now closed while there will no longer be access to Windsor Great Park at Cranbourne Gate, which in the past locals could pay £110 annually to use.
One local woman told the tabloid: ‘Many of us have been walking our dogs here for 20 years so to be told we can’t any more is a kick in the teeth.
‘We pay annually towards the upkeep of a park but we are no longer going to be allowed to use part of it.
‘They’ve only given us a few days’ notice to say this section of forest is closing for ever. Now I’ll need to get in my car to drive further afield to take my dog for a walk.’
However, despite the frustration at the new arrangements, other residents were sympathetic to the royal couple’s need for privacy and enhanced security.
Kensington Palace and the Home Office have been contacted for comment.
