‘Sorry about JD Vance circus', manor house owner tells villagers
The US vice-president is to stay in the 18th-century, Grade-II listed house after visiting David Lammy at Chevening, the Foreign Secretary's official country residence in Kent.
Secret Service agents have been preparing the area around Charlbury, a village with 3,000 residents, for Mr Vance's arrival, putting in place checkpoints, installing new technology and cutting a makeshift helipad into a field.
And the owner of the home where the vice-president is staying apologised to her community about the preparations and heightened public attention.
In a message seen by The Telegraph, Pippa Hornby, who bought the house with her husband Johnny in 2017, told neighbours she was 'so sorry for the circus that is there for the next few days', adding that she hoped it would not be 'too disruptive'.
It came as Mr Vance interrupted his holiday with a high-stakes meeting to discuss a peace plan for Ukraine.
The vice-president and the Foreign Secretary held security talks on Saturday about a controversial Russian proposal under which Ukraine would permanently cede territory currently under occupation.
The White House is pushing for Europe to accept a deal.
Security preparations
On Saturday in the Cotswolds, a number of people could be seen roaming the manor house's six-acre grounds, while a man in a black suit and tie with an earphone and a US/UK flag lapel badge stood at the entrance.
Black trucks unloaded heavy duty boxes and marquees had been erected across the road at two locations, each housing a generator and chairs.
A large antennae was erected behind the house, which locals mused could be a signal jammer, anti-drone system or a telecoms tower to beat the haphazard phone reception.
One resident said: 'It's humming constantly, I thought if I go near it might improve my signal but no luck.' Other antennae appeared on the manor house's roof.
Vehicles marked with the branding of an event production company and blacked out vans transporting people drove to and from the manor throughout the day.
Workers could be seen arranging cushions on the furniture outside. A resident said the usual household staff had been relieved of their duties for the week.
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