He’s not even a week old yet, but Prince George is already putting his royal status to good use.
Since his mother and father (you may know them as Kate Middleton and Prince William) have decided to camp out at the Middleton family home for the next few weeks, the cost of securing the residence in the name of Prince George is astronomical.
According to sources close to Prince Harry (so take it with a mountain of salt), it’s costing $17,000 per day to provide security to the new prince. With helicopters circling over the Middleton’s house (appropriately named Bucklebury Manor) and an increased security presence in the town, that actually seems a bit less expensive than we would have originally thought.
And why are the Cambridges camped out in Bucklebury? Well, Prince William and Kate – who are notorious for wanting their privacy and wanting to lead a “normal” life – feel that Bucklebury is where they are, currently, safest. The apartment in Kensington Palace that they plan to call home hasn’t been completed yet, and it’s thought that the cottage they’d been living in as a family of just two may now be a bit cramped, what with the extra security and baby supplies.
Since Bucklebury Manor is also a private residence (as opposed to a royal palace that is also home to offices of a non-profit and open for tours), there’s also a lot more … well … privacy to be had. The press are forbidden from camping out within a certain distance from the house, and there’s a very long drive – gated, of course – from the main road up to the house.
So what do you think – should The Cambridges head back to London and try to knock back that security fee, or is Prince George (and their happiness) worth every penny?