The Wales family are moving from their current house, Adelaide Cottage, to Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park – but the news has been met with some mixed feelings from local residents
It’s thought Royal Lodge will remain the family’s new permanent home, even after William becomes King
It’s an exciting time for the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children. The family are preparing to move into Forest Lodge in Windsor – said to be their ‘forever home’.
According to reports, William and Kate will relocate around Christmas time. But preparations are already underway in order to make the area ready for its royal residents. And not everyone is happy about it.
Just recently, visitors to Windsor 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.
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A ‘Car Park Closed’ sign at the entrance to the Cranborne Gate car park, opposite Cranborne Gate (Image: PA)
The new zone also has state-of-the-art CCTV and new hedges designed to ensure a level of privacy for the royals. According to reports, anyone found trespassing within the new area could face immediate arrest.
Residents living within half a mile of the site had previously been able to hold keys to the gate for a fee of £110 a year.
But in the week of September 22, 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,” Robin Paulson, who has been riding in the grounds for years, told the Telegraph. “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.
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Workmen erecting additional fencing at Cranborne Gate(Image: PA)
“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 woman, who chose not to give her name but comes to the park twice a week to walk her dog, further told the publication: “[The Royal Family] encourage us to go out in the fresh air, and then they’re restricting us. It’s hypocritical.
“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.”
Forest Lodge is a red-brick historic 8-bedroom Georgian home in Windsor Great Park, which was built in the 1770s and enlarged in the early 20th century. It has been Grade-II listed since 1972.
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Forest Lodge, formerly known as Holly Grove, looks set to be the Wales family’s ‘forever home'(Image: Getty Images)
The Waleses are reported not to be bringing any live-in staff when they move in – a continuation of a practice from their previous residence, Adelaide Cottage , to create a more private family home. While they will not have live-in help, their household staff, including the nanny, chefs, and housekeepers, are expected to live in nearby cottages on the Windsor estate.
The Prince and Princess of Wales clearly love living in Windsor; their three children are settled at Lambrook School nearby, and they will still be close to Windsor Castle for royal functions and engagements.
The couple’s other properties include Anmer Hall, a 10-bedroom house on the Sandringham Estate, which was given to them as a wedding present by the late Queen.
They also retain Apartment 1A in Kensington Palace, which is said to take up half a wing inside the palace and is made up of 20 different rooms – including five reception rooms, three main bedrooms, dressing rooms and a night and day nursery, as well as staff quarters. There’s also a basement floor featuring a gym and a laundry space.