Prince William and Princess Kate’s ‘selfish’ move leaves locals in tears

The Prince and Princess of Wales’ huge move to Forest Lodge in Windsor has been met by anger from some residents who have had their walking routes restricted. However, one dog walker says the impact is far more devastating than many realise

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The Waleses have moved into their new £16 million mansion in Windsor(Image: Getty Images)

A Windsor resident has labelled Prince William and Princess Kate ‘selfish’ for relocating to Forest Lodge, claiming that the real cost to the public is far more damaging and widespread than many people appreciate.

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Following several turbulent years marked by two cancer diagnoses, the late Queen’s passing and family controversies, William and Kate embarked on a fresh chapter last month by settling into their “forever home” at Forest Lodge, a £16 million property set within the expansive grounds of Great Windsor Park. The move aligns with William’s vow to safeguard his family’s privacy in the wake of his mother, Princess Diana’s death. “If you let that creep in, the damage it can do to your family life is something that I vowed would never happen to my family,” he said.

However, the relocation has already sparked outrage among disgruntled locals who, in September, claim they abruptly discovered they could no longer access large stretches of oak-dotted open countryside. They report that approximately 150 acres of formerly public land has been cordoned off to house the Waleses and their three children, with their safety and protection being the paramount priority.

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Prior to the official statement, dog walkers began spotting miles of fencing appearing, “no public entry” notices being put up, and a substantial police presence, complete with CCTV cameras, excavated trenches, and new hedgerows dramatically altering the character of the cherished park. The royal pair have also established a 2.3-mile personal exclusion zone surrounding Forest Lodge, and it is believed that anyone found trespassing in the “Serious Organised Crime and Police Act exclusion area” faces arrest, reports the Mirror.

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Forest Lodge, Kate and William’s new home((Image: Getty Images)

For Tina, whose property sits directly across from Forest Lodge, it is a devastating development. She cautions that whilst the exclusion zone has been predominantly presented as merely the small two-mile perimeter, the truth is that thousands of acres have been removed from public access, and regrettably, the enchantment of the park she has been exploring for 15 years is slowly being extinguished.

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“Anyone can buy a pass to the Windsor Great Park car parks and walk in the public areas. So, by closing Cranbourne Gate car park and an area of land behind Forest Lodge about three times the size of St James’ Park, thousands of people from miles around have been affected,” she tells the Mirror. Tina, who treasured the opportunity to exercise her lively Golden Cocker Retriever off-lead across stunning open countryside, is incensed.

“More than half of Windsor Great Park is private. The public areas for walking are extremely precious. By closing Cranbourne Gate and the surrounding land, people are being increasingly forced to walk on the other side of the park, which is ridiculously overcrowded at the weekends. At Cranbourne, there are hundreds of acres of open fields studded with oak trees, so I could train my dog very easily, whereas the side of the park where I live is all forest,” she adds.

And it’s not just walking routes that have been affected. A children’s environmental educational centre within the new exclusion zone has also closed down, and it has been reported that two families who lived in cottages nearby the Waleses’ new home have been evicted.

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The closure notice at Cranbourne Gate car park

Regarding the facility’s closure, the Crown Estate commented: “While we are working together to minimise the impact on users of the park as far as possible, we will be pausing our onsite activities while we work closely with the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) to identify potential alternative sites.”

Puzzled by the Waleses’ choice to restrict access for local residents, Tina remarks: “It’s clearly a selfish act, allowing a huge amount of public land to be closed, expecting other families to be evicted and increasing public costs so they have sufficient security living in an area which didn’t have police protection before. I doubt they gave a second thought to the implications for others. Enclosing public land for the benefit of one couple is outrageous. It’s like closing Regent’s Park in London and saying it doesn’t matter because you can still go to Hyde Park.”

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The royal couple are reportedly covering the costs of their relocation themselves and will pay market rent on the residence. Any renovations to Forest Lodge will not be funded by the Sovereign Grant, which provides state funding for the monarchy.

Tina was sent an email from the Crown Estate informing her of the closure, merely three days before it took effect. “Due to the pending designation of part of the Great Park as a Socpa (Serious Organised Crime and Police Act exclusion area), access via Cranbourne Gate will permanently cease on Monday 29 September 2025. As a result, Cranbourne car park will be permanently closed from 7pm on Sunday 28 September 2025,” park officials confirmed.

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William and Kate are said to have funded the move themselves(Image: PA)

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Windsor Great Park has confirmed that parking remains available at Ranger’s Gate car park, which is located “just down the road.” However, for dog walkers such as Tina, it is simply not comparable, as that particular area is intended for horse crossings and requires a lengthy walk before reaching a space where dogs can roam off-lead.

“When I realised we only had a couple of days left of access, I did go over there, and everyone I met was upset,” she explains. “I ran into a woman there that I recognised, 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. I also met a couple of people who had keys to the forest, which is the other side of Forest Lodge. And they were desperately upset; it’s like their back garden. You got a key to the forest you lived within walking distance, around half a mile. So it’s not as many people who have been affected there, but the effect on them, of course, is absolutely massive. You’ve got a dog and you’ve got hundreds of acres of woods that you’ve been allowed to use for years, and now you can’t.”

Tina has found herself unable to return to the spot where her cherished walking route once was since its closure. “Because I’m quite upset, I don’t like to go over there now and see it all fenced off and signed with police; it’ll stick in the core a bit,” she admits.

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Hundreds of acres have been closed off to the public(Image: PA)

The real kicker, she says, is the common misconception that the park is owned by the Royal Family. The park — and Forest Lodge — are actually owned by the Crown Estate, a public body whose revenues go to the Treasury. As Tina highlights, this means that “they’re supposed to manage the land in the national interest.”

“It’s not the royals’ back garden,” she warns. “This is not a decision in the national interest for tens of thousands of people to lose access to public land. Kate and William’s actual back garden has been fenced off from this land. It’s just a view from their bedroom window, so they likely won’t even use it. I don’t understand why they would have thought it was a good idea to annex all that land for themselves.”

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As a local with deep knowledge of the area, Tina cannot understand why the Waleses did not choose a more secluded, private property. “I don’t see the security benefit for the family, because if they were in one of the private areas, the kids could get on their bikes and cycle around. Forest Lodge is right next to the village, which is where lots of people who work in the park live. It’s not private around there at all; it’s the busiest bit of the park. So it just doesn’t make sense,” she says.

“It’s just so sad. I live here because of the park; that’s why I want to live here. It’s a huge loss to me and many others. The nature of the park is changing over time. They’ve very much commercialised it — over here at the moment, we’ve got the light trail and other things — and they’re just trying to squeeze us all into this one little area, which I don’t think is good for people, dogs, or nature.”

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A photo Tina took of work being done in the park

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Minutes before heading out with her dog to try and find a new place to walk, Tina told us: “I want Kate and William to open up their eyes and realise the consequences of this move, and I hope that when William becomes King and has multiple properties at his disposal, he vacates the house and allows the public to get their land back. It’s not some hard-up family who have nowhere else to go.”

Reach plc has approached Windsor Great Park for comment. Kensington Palace declined to comment, and a spokesperson for the Crown Estate said: “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. We are working closely with the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) to identify potential alternative sites for the Environmental Centre.”