Prince William and Kate Middleton are moving into a swanky new mansion called Forest Lodge on the Windsor estate, and it’s currently undergoing extensive renovations in preparation for the couple’s Christmas move-in date. Oh, and said renovations come with some very expensive security.
An insider tells Rob Shuter’s Naughty But Nice that the couple’s mansion is being protected with “infrared cameras, reinforced barriers, and permanent guard posts” instead of “quaint hedges.” As they put it: “This isn’t a house—it’s a fortress.”
Meanwhile, a neighbor (one of the ones that hasn’t been evicted) says, “The trucks haven’t stopped. High fences, surveillance systems — you can tell they’re building for threats we don’t even see.” Another local adds, “We thought we were getting new neighbors. What we actually got was Fort Knox in the middle of the park.”
So, how much is this setting Kate and William back? Experts says $5-10 million, while a former royal protection officer says, “The threat level for senior royals is real. But this overhaul is on a scale we rarely see outside embassies.”
Per a palace aide, the cost is worth it for William and Kate, who “want their children to grow up quietly. That peace, however, comes with a very high price tag.”
We have a whole run-down of Forest Lodge below, but in case you want the top notes, it’s a 328-year-old Georgian mansion in Great Windsor Park with a casual eight bedrooms, a chandelier-lit ballroom, a tennis court, and multiple cottages where staff will live. Rumor has it Waleses plan to stay there forever, meaning they won’t move to Buckingham Palace when William’s king!
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