London, Jan 6 (ANI): Security plans for Prince William and Kate's new home have been made public, raising doubt on their safety.
Details of a 3 million pounds high-tech security overhaul showing how they will be protected from terror threats in Kensington Palace were made available by council officials despite pleas from Buckingham Palace to keep them a secret, the Mirror reported.
Plans for apartment 1A include fitting an "air lock" double door to deter intruders, an advanced CCTV system, pop-up bollards and spiked railings.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who currently use the smaller two-bedroom Nottingham Cottage when in London, plan to move into the property, Princess Margaret's former home, next year.
The planning application can be viewed at the Kensington and Chelsea council offices by anyone who applies in writing for an appointment and provides proof of identity on arrival.
But Ken Wharfe, former royal protection officer to Princess Diana, described it as "gross incompetence".
"If you apply to alter your property, the plans are available for inspection at the town hall. But given the high profile of William and Kate and the real security risk to them, quite frankly it's gross incompetence," he said.
A letter to the Tory-run Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea from Roy Brown, of Buckingham Palace's property department, had said: "We would appreciate if this application could be treated as confidential and not be allowed to enter the public domain."
A council spokesman vigorously denied it was gross incompetence and insisted yesterday it had followed the recommended "sensitive applications protocol" guidelines by not making the information available on the web.
"We have followed the rules here. Basically those rules say don't put the details up on the website and only allow the file to be viewed on specific request. That is just what happened," he said.
He also said he was not aware of any plan to change the system to access the documents. (ANI)
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