The Prince and Princess of Wales have caused a stir among the locals near their Forest Lodge home due to their latest privacy measures, it has been reported. According to a new report in the Mail on Sunday, William and Kate, both 43, have had a six-mile cordon, which has been dubbed a "ring of steel", put up around their home on the Windsor Home Park estate, complete with CCTV camera-adorned fences and 'no entry' signs.
The security measures, which will also offer the couple and their children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, seven, greater privacy, have reportedly upset locals who have reacted negatively to the blocking off of the land near the royal pad. The no entry sign features a notice reading: "This is a protected site under Section 128 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005. Trespass on this site is a criminal offence."
Those living within a mile of the park can pay a £60 fee to access parts of the land unavailable to other visitors but the new cordon has rendered that obsolete.
Inside Forest Lodge
Forest Lodge, which the Wales family moved into during the October half-term, is a serious upgrade compared to their home at Adelaide Cottage, a four-bedroom Crown-owned pad on the same Windsor estate.
Their new residence, which has been dubbed their "forever home", boasts eight bedrooms, as well as a ballroom, a tennis court, and rooms boasting elaborate cornicing, Venetian windows, and vaulted ceilings.
"The Prince and Princess of Wales clearly love living in Windsor, the children are settled at Lambrook School nearby, and they will still be close to Windsor Castle for royal functions and engagement," HELLO!'s online royal correspondent Danielle Stacey shared when the news of the Waleses' move first broke. "Upsizing to Forest Lodge allows the family more space and has already been viewed as their 'forever home,' rather than having the children growing up within the walls of a palace."
A strict rule at William and Kate's 'forever home'
Upon their move, William and Kate also doubled down on a rule they maintained at Adelaide Cottage – that they would have no live-in staff.
Ingrid Seward, royal biographer and editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, told us of the reasoning behind the decision: "William and Kate have never wanted live-in staff; I think that's the modern way.
"Since William was a little boy, he's seen all the staff at the late Queen's homes, and he never wanted that. It's not something Kate grew up with either."