Prince William, Kate Middleton, and their three kids Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis moved into their “forever home,” Forest Lodge, last month.That said, some neighbors have been left “in tears” because of the “grim reality” of the family’s security concerns.The eight-bedroom Georgian mansion was chosen as a “fresh start” for the family.
Prince William, Kate Middleton, and their kids moved into the eight-bedroom Forest Lodge last month looking for a “fresh start,” but that fresh start hasn’t come without headaches for their neighbors.
Those who live around the Georgian mansion, nestled in Windsor Great Park, are reportedly “in tears” about the “grim reality” of the Wales family of five’s “security concerns,” according to a new report from The Mirror. Neighbors told the publication that approximately “150 acres of previously publicly accessible land has been closed off to accommodate the couple and their three children, whose safety is of priority concern.”
Prince William, Prince George, Prince Louis, Kate Middleton, and Princess Charlotte on May 5, 2025.
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“After it had been announced that William was moving there, I spoke to various people I bumped into and we speculated about the closure of the fields and footpaths, and the general view was, ‘I really hope not,’” a local told the outlet.
Neighbors referred to Forest Lodge having a “ring of steel” placed around it, with a resident telling The Mirror that “There were months of work around Forest Lodge [before the move], big trenches were dug, so clearly a lot of infrastructure went in. They planted a new hedge and installed a new fence behind the back garden of the house.”
The park around Forest Lodge.
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A local resident said that a large area of forest in Windsor Great Park—once accessible to the public—has now been closed off, and added that the changes have affected “thousands of people from miles around.”
One local said that, after a walk in the forest prior to its closure, everyone they met “was upset,” the neighbor said. “I ran into a woman there that I recognized, and she said to me that when she got the email, she cried. For people who have walked there for years, it’s so sad.”
Forest Lodge.
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A spokesperson for the Crown Estate told The Mirror that “A security boundary has been introduced by the Home Office and Thames Valley Police in a small area of Windsor Great Park to support enhanced protective measures. This does not affect the vast majority of public access to the park, and efforts have been made to reduce the impact on users of the park as far as possible.”
Some residents, though, are more empathetic to the Prince and Princess of Wales’s security concerns, with one telling The Mirror, “We love the royals and William and Kate and it’s so exciting they are moving to Forest Lodge. It’s clear this car park closure has not come from them, but is down to security concerns.”
Prince William and Kate Middleton visiting the Caribbean in 2022.
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Forest Lodge is being dubbed the family’s “forever home,” with the implication that they will live there even after William becomes king, whenever that may be.