Prince William and Princess Kate's "Forever Home" Has Caused a Christmas Traffic Fiasco for Local Residents
Neighbors hoping to get a Christmas tree will have to add a mile to their trip to avoid the Wales family's security perimeter.
In early November, Prince William, Princess Kate and their children moved to Forest Lodge, an eight-bedroom Georgian mansion located about 15 minutes from their previous home, Adelaide Cottage. Now that they're all settled in and putting the finishing touches on decorating the property, it's time to get ready for Christmas. But for local residents, the security perimeter surrounding their "forever home" means a festive traffic headache.
According to the Daily Mail, local business The Christmas Tree Shop—which opened for the season on November 27—sits on land next to Forest Lodge. But in an effort to protect the royals' privacy and prevent cars from passing directly in front of the family's new house, access routes have been dramatically altered to the tree business.
Instead of the straightforward trip that locals are used to, drivers are being diverted along a new, circular route to pick out their Christmas trees—adding more than a mile to what used to be a short journey. Traffic cones have been positioned to enforce the route, but the temporary layout seems to have sparked confusion and frustration with neighbors.
Forest Lodge sits in the middle of Windsor Great Park, but close to local roads.
"I have already seen a few near misses where people have driven the wrong side of the cones," one resident told the Daily Mail.
Another local told the outlet that security officers were stationed to keep any curious fans from taking a peek at Forest Lodge after they picked up their tree. "A car was parked and running both days with what looked like two plain-clothes officers inside to prevent anyone going into the lodge's grounds" the resident said.
The source added, "The shop is right next door, so it is not surprising the Waleses are keeping an extra eye out in case anyone is tempted to take a peek."
Prince William and Princess Kate moved Prince Louis, Prince George and Princess Charlotte into Forest Lodge last month.
This isn't the first time locals have had to change their longstanding habits due to William and Kate's move. In September, it was announced that residents would no longer be able to enter Windsor Great Park through a gate that neighbors had been paying to access for decades.
"Many of us have been walking our dogs here for 20 years so to be told we can’t any more is a kick in the teeth," one woman told the Sun of the new 150-acre security perimeter surrounding Forest Lodge. "We pay annually towards the upkeep of a park but we are no longer going to be allowed to use part of it."
