Windsor Residents Express Outrage as Prince William and Kate’s New Home Receives Increased Security Measures
Residents near Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park, Berkshire, are voicing frustration after learning public access to the area will be permanently blocked following the Prince and Princess of Wales’ relocation. The move, enacted under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (SOCPA) 2005, designates the property as protected, effectively ending decades of public enjoyment of the woodland.
The decision to restrict access, which did not require public consultation, has been met with dismay by locals who regularly use the area for recreation. The SOCPA 2005 law protects crown land and private land belonging to the King or the heir. Plans now list Forest Lodge as a “new residence” on private crown Estate land, with the new boundary agreed upon by Thames Valley Police and the Royal Household.
Forest Lodge will become the new home for william and Kate,relocating from their previous residence at Kensington Palace. The designation change reflects the property’s use as part of the wider Crown Land within windsor,warranting the same protection afforded to other Crown properties under section 128 of the SOCPA 2005. Previously, the site was occupied by non-protected tenants, negating the need for such designation.
“The reason for the designation is that the site was previously in use by non-protected tenants, so the designation of land and property was not needed,” reads the official decision. “By the relocation of a protected principal residing at the Forest Lodge site, it reflects its use as part of the wider Crown Land within Windsor and therefore is appropriate to afford this site the same protection as other Crown properties designated under section 128 of the SOCPA 2005.”
Kensington Palace and the Home Office have been contacted for comment.