More Trouble for Prince William and Princess Kate as Neighbors Accuse Them of ‘Abuse of Power’
The couple's strict security measures forced residents into a needless one-mile detour to shop for Christmas trees.
It seems Prince William and Kate Middleton have managed to get into another neighbor row. The royal couple's push for privacy has, once again, sparked backlash, with residents reportedly fed up with the strict security measures around Forest Lodge. A new report claims an expanded perimeter has created a festive traffic fiasco, forcing locals into a needless one-mile detour to collect their Christmas trees. Neighbors believe the over-the-top measures have crossed a line, with some branding the setup as 'abuse of power.'
According to the Daily Mail, the Christmas Tree Shop, a place to shop for the festival, sits on land beside William and Middleton's 'forever home.' The trees, grown on the estate, draw hundreds of punters each year until December 25. But after the Wales family moved in, new access routes and traffic cones were installed to stop visitors from driving directly past their residence. Cars must now follow a circular one-mile detour to reach the shop. Two royal security officers are also stationed in the car park during opening hours to deter intruders. Commenting on the inconvenience, a resident said, "I have already seen a few near misses where people have driven the wrong side of the cones."
Graham Smith, chief executive of anti-monarchy campaign group Republic, unsurprisingly also believes it is incorrect for the Prince and Princess to have control over a shop that's not theirs. He told Newsweek, "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." He added, "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."
This is not William and Middleton's first tiff with their neighbors. Before they moved into Forest Lodge in November, locals could freely traverse the area. Now, the surroundings of their 'forever home' are heavily secured, with hoardings, cameras, and a 150-acre 'no-go' zone restricting access. One resident fumed to The Telegraph, "I'm totally in favor of protecting the royal family against idiots who might try to shoot at them or take photographs. But the house is very far away, they've put a huge fence around it, and there are lots of cameras in the fields. We're not impressed, I'm afraid."
Similarly, back in September, it was reported that some tenants were allegedly forced to vacate the property to make way for the Wales family. An insider told the Daily Mail, "They were not expecting it. Those houses are very close to the lodge, so they're not going to want any Tom, Dick, or Harry living in those houses if there are going to be royals there." Public access around the property is expected to be permanently blocked once it becomes designated under the Serious Organized Crime and Police Act (SOCPA) 2005.
