Now Kate’s engulfed in a weathervane storm
FIRST the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge annoyed their new neighbours in Norfolk by replacing the old weathered tiles of their country retreat Anmer Hall with garish orange ones.
Then they had the front path of the 18th Century mansion on the Sandringham Estate rerouted.
Now Kate and William have raised hackles further by removing an ensign, painted as the St George’s flag, from a historic weathervane as part of the renovations at their new home. The flag was part of a ship-shaped vane which has overlooked the hall for more than 100 years.
Former blacksmith Neville Manley, 55, who was involved in a refurbishment of Anmer 20 years ago, said: ‘Maybe the flag was taken down for political reasons. It is ridiculous and a bit annoying that they would do that. The flag was part of the original structure and it should have been kept.’
The copper vane has been retained and painted black with gold gilt. But without the flag it could be useless, as experts say it helps the ship spin and so indicate the wind direction.
In an embarrassing coincidence, the vane was a gift to one of the hall’s previous tenants, Admiral Sir Frederick Hamilton – whose father-in-law was the younger brother of the Duchess of Cornwall’s great-great-grandfather.
Karen Green, of bespoke weathervane makers Greens, said: ‘It is interesting the big flag has been removed, as it was a nod to the admiral’s service to the country.
‘It had a practical purpose making the vane move in the wind. It could have been taken off for political reasons.’
The ensign did have bullet holes through it, clearly after being used for target practice, but a palace spokesman declined to explain why it had been taken away.