Prince William has reportedly angered his neighbors after moving his family into their new “forever home,” leading to accusations that the future king is “abusing” his power.
The Prince of Wales and his wife Kate Middleton moved to Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park with their three children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7.
The royal couple have angered neighbours by creating a no-go zone around their property, threatening to arrest trespassers and preventing locals from visiting a nearby Christmas tree shop.
Graham Smith, chief executive of anti-monarchy group Republic, criticised William for using his “power and privilege” to disturb residents’ lives.
“The Christmas trees issue might seem silly, but the point is this is all public property, and William should not have been able to close those roads and close access to that land. It’s not his to do what he wants with,” Mr Smith told Newsweek.
“He’s also forced two people, two families to move out of their homes.
“They were relocated to other places on the park, but this is just another example of William just basically sticking two fingers up to local people and then just grabbing land that isn’t his just so that he can move from one house to another.
“So it’s just an abuse of power and privilege for me.”
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Prince William has reportedly upset his neighbours. Picture: Eddie Mulholland – WPA Pool/Getty Images
Back in September, The Sun reported CCTV cameras, large fencing and landscaping were installed to deter trespassers from the eight-bedroom mansion.
The estate covers around 370 acres with a 3.7 km perimeter, which is set to be signposted warning people not to enter.
Some residents were annoyed but accepted the royals’ security was of utmost importance.
“We come here every couple of weeks and we’re going to have to find somewhere else now for [my dog] to get the miles in,” one resident told The Sun.
“But I completely understand the safety of William, Kate and their family is paramount so we should make sure they can live happily here.”
“We love the royals and William and Kate and it’s so exciting they are moving to Forest Lodge,” another person added to the publication.
“It’s clear this car park closure has not come from them, but is down to security concerns.”
The Wales family moved into Forest Lodge. Picture: Getty Images
The Wales family had been residing at Adelaide Cottage, located near Windsor Castle in Berkshire, England.
Insiders told The Sun they are hoping for a “fresh start” after a difficult time at Adelaide Cottage, during which Queen Elizabeth died and Kate and King Charles were diagnosed with cancer.
Work has already started on minor internal and external renovations at Forest Lodge — and the Waleses aimed to be in by Christmas.
Kate was spotted picking new furniture to kit out the new abode, including a 24-seater table.
The freehold is owned by the King in care of The Crown Estate.
Forest Lodge was last renovated in 2001 at a cost of £1.5 million ($A3.1 million) and went on the rental market for £15,000 ($A31,000) a month.
At the time, the eight-bedroom property was valued at £5.5 million ($A11.4 million) but according to house price indices, the home would be worth about £16 million ($A32 million) if sold on the open market.
Parts of this story first appeared in The Sun and was republished with permission.
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