Prince William and Kate Middleton opened a local play park for kids on Tuesday at Windsor Great Park in England, but it’s not quite receiving the warm welcome they had hoped.
Known as Adventure Play, located on the border of Berkshire and Surrey, the Prince and Princess of Wales are not allowing just anyone in.
Instead, they are charging parents £12 (or $15.50) with kids under the age of 2 to watch their children play on the park equipment.
The park includes several wooden huts, raised walkways and slides.
And for any child between the ages of 2 to 15, it costs even more to play there — specifically, £16 (or $20.60).
As a response, parents slammed the royals as inconsiderate of the poor financial climate currently plaguing the country. Many Brits have been struggling to pay their bills for months due to sky-high inflation and soaring interest rates causing supermarket prices and mortgages to increase in price — much like in the United States.
“There is a cost of living crisis, read the room,” one person commented on Instagram under the promotional post.
Another blasted how much it is charging as “utterly obscene.”
And if that’s not the worst of it, that significant fee covers one session, which only lasts two hours.
“How could you guys get this so wrong?!” Hannah Brudenell told Jam Press.
“Whoever came up/approved this pricing structure needs a reality check and quite obviously couldn’t care less about children from struggling families,” another wrote.
Mom-of-two Natalie Masters said: “I’m sorry, but £56 for my family, two adults and two children for two hours in a park is utterly obscene. What a pity.”
“Why on earth are parents being charged £12 for entry to a playground?” Another concerned parent wrote.
“Yes, it is a beautifully built one, but I’m not going to play on it, my child is. And for only two hours.”
“I just logged on to book and could not believe the cost,” Ellie Kelly added. “I run a forest school and I charge £14 per child for two hours and we cook on the fire and explore and make nature crafts and adults are free.”
Last summer, Will and Kate moved to Windsor with their three children, Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 8 and Prince Louis, 5.
Adventure Play is just a stone’s throw from their Adelaide Cottage home and Windsor Castle.
“Opening Tuesday 11 July, tickets for Adventure Play in Windsor Great Park are now on sale,” a Windsor Great Park spokesperson said in a statement.
“Book online in advance only, and park for free with your Adventure Play entry ticket.”
“But this is not just for the children,” the statement continued. “Whether they want to climb among the trees or explore the amazing giant acorns, you can be right there, feeding their imagination and watching their confidence grow. Because this is play like you remember it — getting close to nature, challenging the body and stimulating the senses. All are welcome, whatever their age, need or ability.“
When asked to respond to pricing, the spokesperson added: “We also listened to feedback during our testing sessions, and this feedback is reflected in the price set.”
“The prices include car parking, which can be used for the whole day enabling families to enjoy other facilities in the park outside of their play session. The prices set allow us to limit visitor numbers for the allocated session times to ensure all guests can enjoy the experience in a fully relaxed and un-congested way.”
The spokesperson, however, did note that lower prices are not completely off the table.
“As with everything that we do, we will keep our prices under review.”