Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s relocation from his Windsor mansion to the King’s Sandringham Estate has been met with a frosty reception from some local residents.
Press photographers and television crews converged on Wednesday near the entrance to Wood Farm Cottage, where he is reportedly staying temporarily.
The usually tranquil lane in Wolferton, by St Peter church, was filled with parked cars, while a helicopter hovered overhead.
It is understood that Marsh Farm, the former duke’s intended new home nearby, is not yet fully prepared, with his permanent move anticipated by the beginning of April.
A woman who answered the door at a house in Wolferton, speaking anonymously, said she felt it was the wrong location for Mr Mountbatten-Windsor to move to and that he should be somewhere more “secluded”.
“I think if he has to come and live here it should be somewhere that’s quite secluded,” she said.
“There are houses that belong to the King that he could go to that wouldn’t cause anybody any bother.
“The press are all down there. The villagers don’t like that.
“It’s a quiet village.”
She suggested a house that was “out in the woods that’s surrounded by trees and no other houses… would have been better”, adding that Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s new property in Wolferton was “too close to the road” and “you’re always going to have reporters”.
“If he needs to come, he needs to come, but I think there’s better places he could have actually gone,” she said.
Many in the village were reluctant to speak at all, with some saying they could not comment as they worked for the royal estate.
Around two miles away at Sandringham Visitor Centre, members of the public did not speak positively of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s move.
Abraham Bruin, 83, of West Walton, who used to work in plant nurseries, was visiting the Sandringham Estate on Wednesday.
He said: “I’m a little bit flabbergasted myself.
“If he’s an outcast and living on the estate, he’s not an outcast is he.”
A woman, speaking anonymously, said: “Really he’s going back to luxury, isn’t he?
“He’s being waited on hand and foot.”
Another woman who was visiting the estate, who also declined to be named, said: “I’m not particularly keen on him.
“I’m not happy he’s this way.
“As long as we don’t see him. He will be hid away somewhere.
“He will have all the things he needs.
“He’s still living in a certain amount of luxury.”
A third woman, who also did not give her name, said she was “not enamoured” that Mr Mountbatten-Windsor had moved to the area.
“They’re dumping their royal rubbish on us,” she said.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor still has the lease for his Windsor property until October but it is understood he has made the substantive part of his move to his new home.
However, it may take some weeks to complete and the former prince is likely to be seen at Royal Lodge on occasion.
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