Lord Ivar Mountbatten, a second cousin of King Charles, has reportedly caused controversy by announcing plans to charge locals to walk their dogs on his 100-acre estate in Devon.

The annual fee, rumoured to be around £60, has upset many in the community. The aristocratic TV personality, who made history as the first extended member of the Royal Family to have a same-sex wedding, has stated that the rise in living and operational costs in the past 12 months has made it necessary to find alternative ways to supplement his income.

According to the parish magazine, Lord Ivar wishes to continue to offer access to the Orangery and Parkland across seven days a week, but he and his husband, James Coyle, need guests and visitors to support them more if they are going to remain open. However, one dog walker said, “As you can imagine, people are not very happy. It is one thing charging non-locals a day fee to visit, but quite another exploiting what is really a captive audience. I don’t think people will pay it.”

Bridwell Park, in Culm Valley, was opened to the public during the pandemic, and the Orangery cafe was launched by Lord Ivar and Coyle to supplement their income after their lucrative wedding business was hit by Covid restrictions. The estate is home to many deer, and there are a variety of water birds on the lake, so dogs must be kept on a lead while being walked.

Lord Ivar was a first cousin, once removed, of Prince Philip and a third cousin, once removed, of Queen Elizabeth. The move to charge locals for dog walking has been controversial, with many feeling that it is an exploitation of a “captive audience” and is unfair to those who already struggle to make ends meet.

Despite this, Lord Ivar has stood by his decision, stating that he needs to find ways to supplement his income in light of rising costs. It remains to be seen whether locals will choose to pay the fee or not, but the controversy surrounding the issue is unlikely to go away any time soon. Photo by Lewis Clarke, Wikimedia commons.