Forest Lodge area Windsor Great Park restricted, sparking opposition

Prince William and Kate Middleton are facing local opposition after authorities established a restricted zone around Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park ahead of the couple’s planned move later this year. The Home Office has designated roughly 150 acres around the Georgian mansion a no‑access area, closing gates and a car park and installing fencing, surveillance cameras and additional tree cover to increase privacy and security for the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children.

Officials say the designation, agreed with the Royal Household and Thames Valley Police, brings the site into the same legal protection as other Crown residences under Section 128 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005. That provision makes entry to the demarcated area a criminal offence and gives police the authority to arrest trespassers. Authorities carried out closures and erected barriers at access points, including Cranbourne Gate, on September 28, and have begun marking the new perimeter, which stretches about 2.3 miles.

The measures have prompted complaints from people who have used parts of the Great Park for decades. Several residents who previously paid annual fees of...