Kate gets £20,000 yew hedge to give her palace some privacy
THEY are known for being concerned about their privacy and eager to shield their young children from the public eye.
So now that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are moving their family back to Kensington Palace from Norfolk, they are clearly not taking any chances.
A team of gardeners and construction workers have begun planting an 820ftlong wall of conifers along the western side of the royal residence in London.
The move, thought to be costing taxpayers more than £20,000, will block the view of anyone hoping to get a glimpse of the family.
It is not clear what their neighbours think of the barrier. That area of the grounds backs on to Kensington Palace Gardens, which is known as Billionaires’ Row and is regarded as the most expensive street in Britain, with houses worth up to £100 million.
It is popular with tourists and there are also numerous embassies on the road, including those of Russia and Israel, which bring a lot of footfall.
Work started on the L- shaped line of trees on Tuesday and was still ongoing yesterday. One expert from Woodcote Green Garden Centre in Surrey said he believed the trees were taxus baccata, also known as English yew. These can grow at a rate of 1ft a year to reach more than 40ft – twice the height of a two-storey house – but have been known to grow up to 90ft.
Last week Kensington Palace confirmed William and Kate will move back to London with Prince George, three, and 20-month old Princess Charlotte, in the summer after the Duke’s contract as an air ambulance pilot in East Anglia ends. It is anticipated the couple will take on full-time royal duties.
The family will live in their existing home at the palace, Apartment 1a. More than £4.5 million of taxpayers’ money was spent on the home when the couple married in 2011 but they lived there only a few months before moving to Anmer Hall in Norfolk.
The privacy provided by the trees is likely also to be appreciated by Prince Harry and his girlfriend, US actress Meghan Markle, who is a regular visitor at his two-bedroom cottage in the grounds.
The palace is also home to Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, the Duke and Duchess of Kent and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, while Princess Eugenie is expected to move there this year.
Royal sources said the tree planting was for reasons of ‘privacy and security’.
A palace spokesman confirmed the work would be paid for out of the taxpayerfunded Sovereign Grant. They would not reveal the cost but a similar 6ft tree costs around £120. Several hundred are being planted, meaning the total cost of the trees alone is likely to be more than £20,000.
The Royal Family was not required to seek planning permission, according to a council spokesman.
Royal sources said all regulations met, adding that it is ‘common practice’ for hedging to be part of security arrangements at palaces and that ‘the work just brings Kensington Palace more into line with other royal residences’.