Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Jump to content
Sign up to our newsletters
Independent
US election
More
Best
Climate
TV

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

Prince Andrew reported to police by campaigners 'for ramming car into Windsor Great Park gates'

Anti-monarchy campaigners have told The Independent they filed a complaint with Thames Valley Police over the allegations this morning

Siobhan Fenton
Thursday 17 March 2016 07:03 EDT
Anti-monarchy campaign group Republic told The Independent that they have reported Prince Andrew to Thames Valley Police over the alleged incident
Anti-monarchy campaign group Republic told The Independent that they have reported Prince Andrew to Thames Valley Police over the alleged incident (Getty)

Anti-monarchy campaigners have reported Prince Andrew to the police for ‘ramming open a park gate’.

The Duke of York allegedly caused several thousand pounds worth of damage to the gates of Windsor Great Park when he reportedly “rammed” against them with his Range Rover. A park worker told The Sun that the gate was designed to open automatically but that on this occasion: “For some reason the sensors didn’t work. Instead of going a mile out of his way, he just decided to ram it open.”

The Duke of York is accused of ramming his Range Rover into the gates at Windsor Great Park, pictured, after the automatic sensor failed to open
The Duke of York is accused of ramming his Range Rover into the gates at Windsor Great Park, pictured, after the automatic sensor failed to open (Wikipedia)

Following the alleged incident, Thames Valley Police told journalists that it was not able to investigate the allegations because no formal report had been made to them. However, a spokesperson for Republic, an organisation which campaigns for the abolition of the monarchy, has told The Independent that one of their members made a complaint to Thames Valley Police today to enable an investigation to occur.

Graham Smith, Republic CEO, told The Independent: “I expect the police to deal with this matter just as they would if the suspect were any other person. I cannot believe an ordinary member of the public would not be prosecuted for deliberately damaging these gates with their car. This is a matter of principle: will the royals be treated the same as the rest of us or is there a different law for them?

“The Crown Estate also has questions to answer about why they haven’t reported the incident. They are a nationally owned property portfolio that raises revenue for the tax payer. They have a duty to protect their assets and to be open and honest with the press."

The Independent has contacted Buckingham Palace and Thames Valley Police for comment.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in