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

View 7 Images

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

A Windsor local has branded Prince William and Princess Kate ‘selfish’ for moving to Forest Lodge, arguing that the true cost to the public is way more devastating and far-reaching than people realise.

After several nightmare years of two cancer diagnoses, the late Queen’s death and family scandals, William and Kate made a fresh start last month by moving into their “forever home” of Forest Lodge, a £16 million mansion nestled in the sprawling grounds of Great Windsor Park. It follows William’s promise to protect his family’s privacy following the death of his mother, Princess Diana. “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.

But the big move has already been tainted with uproar from upset locals who, in September, say they suddenly woke up to the distressing news that they could no longer access vast swathes of oak-studded open fields. They say that around 150 acres of previously publicly accessible land has been closed off to accommodate the Waleses and their three children, with their safety and security being the highest concern.

View 7 Images

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

Before the announcement, dog walkers noticed miles of fencing cropping up, “no public entry” signs being erected and a major police presence, with CCTV cameras, dug-out trenches and new hedging vastly changing the feel of the beloved park. The royal couple has also imposed a 2.3 mile personal exclusion area around Forest Lodge, and it’s understood that anyone who is caught trespassing in the “Serious Organised Crime and Police Act exclusion area” will be arrested.

For Tina, who owns a home on the opposite side of Forest Lodge, it’s a huge blow. She warns that while the exclusion zone has been largely portrayed as only being the small two-mile radius, the reality is that thousands of acres have been lost to the public, and sadly, the magic of the park she has been walking in for 15 years is gradually being snuffed out.

“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 the Forest Lodge about three times the size of St James’ Park, thousands of people from miles around have been affected,” she tells the Mirror.

View 7 Images

The closure notice at Cranbourne Gate car park

Tina, who cherished the ability to let her energetic Golden Cocker Retriever off the lead in beautiful open fields, is furious. “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 over crowded at the weekends. At Cranbourne, there’s 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, It’s all forest.”

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’s been reported that two families who lived in cottages nearby the Waleses’ new home have been evicted.

On the centre closure, the Crown Estate has stated: “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.”

View 7 Images

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

Article continues below

Baffled by Kate and William’s decision to shut locals out, Tina says: “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 Regents Park in London and saying it doesn’t matter because you can still go to Hyde Park.” The Prince and Princess of Wales are said to be funding their move privately, and will pay market rent on the property. Any work carried out on Forest Lodge will not come from the Sovereign Grant, which provides state funding for the monarchy.

Tina recieved an email from the Crown Estate to notify her of the controversial closure, just three days before it was imposed. “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,” the park management announced.

View 7 Images

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

Windsor Great Park notes that parking will still be available at Ranger’s Gate car park, which is “just down the road”. But for dog walkers like Tina, it’s not the same, as that area is designed for horse crossings and you have to walk for miles to access an area that dogs can go 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 affect 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 hasn’t been able to face going back to where her much-loved walking route used to be since it was shut down. “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.

View 7 Images

A photo Tina took of work being done in the park

The real sting, she says, is how many people wrongly assume that the park is owned by the Royal Family. The park – and Forest Lodge – is instead owned by the Crown Estate, a public body whose revenues go to the Treasury. This means, as Tina points out, that “they’re supposed to manage the land in the national interest”.

“It’s not the royals’ garden back garden,” the 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.

As a local with deep knowledge of the area, Tina can’t understand why the Waleses didn’t choose a more secluded, private property. “I don’t see security the 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.

View 7 Images

William has spoken out recently about wanting to protect his family from intrusion(Image: Getty Images)

Article continues below

“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.”

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.”

The Mirror 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.”