Following Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s move into Frogmore Cottage, the paparazzi have been dying to get photos of the updated residence. However, because it’s ensconced in the Windsor Castle property, a good shot is difficult to acquire for the uninvited.
Now, The Sun is reporting that a photographer decided to try to get some snaps using a drone, a quadcopter, to fly over the Berkshire residence to see what kind of images they could capture. Photos of Frogmore Cottage are rare, and most are taken from a distance. Therefor, a good photo could fetch a tidy sum.
But Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry’s new home is in the flight path of Heathrow Airport, and so any drone flying over Frogmore is running the risk of interfering with a flight taking off from — or landing at — the nearby airfield.
The unnamed photographer had a long lens camera on the drone, one which flew up to 984 feet over the Windsor Castle property. Even in uncontrolled airspace, drones are only allowed to fly at a maximum of 300 feet.
A spokesperson from Heathrow explained that this drone did not interfere with any flights to, or from, the airport.
“Heathrow operations weren’t impacted. Aircraft at that point are flying at approximately 2,500 ft.”
Many criticize the Duke and the Duchess of Sussex, but look at the danger they are experiencing, the U.K. media has no limits!!! https://t.co/sd52EUn4oz
— Regina?????? (@Reginaceca) April 8, 2019
While Kensington Palace declined to comment on the incident, the law states that it is illegal to fly drones within the confines of Windsor Great Park and Windsor Castle — a region which includes Frogmore House and Frogmore Cottage.
Locals out for a walk said that they were alarmed by the drone, which was obviously in the Windsor Park airspace, and seemed to be flying overhead as flights were taking off from Heathrow.
“It flew over our heads at about 200 meters up toward Windsor Castle and then went up very high almost out of sight but we could see that it came back toward us then went to the east over to the area where I know Frogmore Cottage is.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex only moved into Frogmore Cottage on April 5, so there is concern that this is just the beginning of potential trouble concerning drones.
The Inquisitr reports that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry made the move from Kensington Palace to Windsor for the increased space and privacy, particularly as the duchess’s due date approaches. Despite the ban on drones over the Windsor Park area, this will likely not be the last incident involving photographers trying to get a closer look at the growing family — and their new home.