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Queen faces snub over £1m plea for crumbling palaces
Last updated at 10:51am on 29.06.07The Queen is on a collision course with ministers after being told she is unlikely to get extra money to repair "crumbling" Buckingham Palace and other royal properties.
Her official London residence is decaying so badly that a large piece of masonry came loose and plunged to the ground, missing Princess Anne's car by inches, it has emerged.
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A similar incident happened four months earlier on the day that almost 1,000 pupils and teachers were due to visit the palace for a science fair.
Royal aides say they need an extra £1million a year from the taxpayer to stop the "critical" backlog of repairs spiralling out of control.
They have already gone cap-in-hand to outgoing Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell for the funding but admit they are pessimistic about the outcome as money is being ploughed into the 2012 Olympics.
"We have had very little feedback but in the overall context of government spending it is unlikely to be successful," said a senior aide. "This is a really serious situation. We are talking about safety. The funding is critical."
Details of the Queen's domestic woes emerged as Buckingham Palace issued its annual report on royal public finances.
The taxpayer gave £37.3 million last year to fund the Queen as Head of State
It revealed that the Queen and her family cost taxpayers £37.3million last year which works out at 62p for every man, woman and child in the country - "less than the price of two first-class stamps", boasted Sir Alan Reid, Keeper of the Privy Purse.
With an annual salary of £188,000, Sir Alan is the Queen's highest-paid employee.
The total figure does not include the cost of protecting the Royal Family, however, which was most recently estimated to be more than £100million per annum.
"We cannot reveal the exact figure for security reasons but we cannot be held to account for global terrorism," Sir Alan insisted.
The report also showed that Prince Charles is the most expensive member of the family and that the Royal Train cost £64,000 for each of the 11 journeys it made last year.
The buildings most in need of urgent repair are Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Frogmore House.
Windsor has had its lead roofs "patched up" so many times over the years that an area the size of both Centre and Number One Courts at Wimbledon need completely replacing.
At Frogmore, which is in the grounds of Home Park at Windsor, parts of the Victoria and Albert Mausoleum's ceiling have fallen in and the situation is so serious that English Heritage has warned it may need to be closed completely.
The problems are most acute, however, at Buckingham Palace. The elegant quadrangle is described as a "potential risk to health and safety". Built in 1847 out of Caen stone, it has been badly affected by the elements.
Although aides insist the area is not dangerous for members of the public, they admit the incident involving Princess Anne's car in February was a close call. "It was fairly dramatic. To have the nation's palaces crumbling in front of our eyes simply isn't acceptable,' one senior aide said.
The maintenance of official royal residences is funded by a grant from the Department for Culture Media and Sport.
This was set at £15million a year back in 1991 which, aides argue, has actually meant a drop of almost 70 per cent in real terms.
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The Queen keeps an eye on the condition of Buckingham Palace
"The frustration is the feeling that we've been managing the situation under difficult circumstances very well for a number of years and are now paying the price for that efficiency," said an aide.
"It seems as if all of the DCMS's money is going to be diverted towards the 2012 Olympics."
If the Queen is refused the extra money, aides say they will have to divert it from other essential projects rather than play roulette with public safety.
Sir Alan added: "There is a critical backlog in maintenance projects already, however, and if our historic buildings are to remain safe it is essential that the grant is increased by £1million per year."
A spokesman for the department, which will decide on the extra funding in October, said it "recognises the importance of the occupied royal palaces whose repairs and maintenance it helps to fund. However government resources are finite."
Prince Charles, according to the report, is putting a rather sizeable strain on the public purse.
His travel bill soared last year by 37 per cent to £1.25million, making him the most well-travelled and the most expensive royal.
He spent £345,000 charting a private jet for his tour of the Gulf in February this year and a further £269,000 on a plane for his trip to Pakistan last autumn.
Clarence House aides said the Prince of Wales carries out around 630 official engagements every year, an increasing number of which are overseas.
"All of his overseas visits are carried out at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and are hugely important for the country," a spokesman said.
Reader views (21)
£1m? Why not get the Polish to do it – it would cut a few costs? I'm sure we could get a group of them to sort it out in exchange for a hot meal or accommodation for a week or two.
- Tom Finn, London, UK, 28/06/2007 17:02
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My elderly parents need new guttering on their house and are having difficutly finding the cash. I need a new kitchen and bathroom shall I pass the hat around! Seriously though, as much as I think we need the royals I also think that as they live in the houses they should maintain them themselves out of their vast wealth. It is not as if we can go and stay in Buck House for our holidays so why should we contribute.
- Jan, Romford, 28/06/2007 16:32
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Take the money from the huge entrance fees charged for Windsor Castle and Buck Palace tourists!
- Gary Parker, Amersham, 28/06/2007 15:02
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The government was keen enough to have the income from the Queen's estates and so a deal was done, part of which included the govenment paying for the upkeep of the royal residences. It should come as no surprise that the funding for this has been deferred until the palaces have deteriorated seriously - and then they complain about the cost. Does this not sound familiar to everyone esle?
The governement has a responsibility to maintain the buildings. Either adhere to the agreement or give the Queen back her estates' income.
- Mark, London, 28/06/2007 14:38
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Charlie is loaded at the moment, get him to loan it to mummy.
- Kay, london, 28/06/2007 14:01
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The Queen, by all accounts, doesn't want to live in Buckingham Palace and much prefers Windsor. Are those people who want her to pay for "her house" prepared for her to be allowed to vacate Buckingham Palace completely? Do people want the monarch's official residence to be outside of London? What would that do to the tourist industry around here.
- Thomas Cryer, London, 28/06/2007 13:50
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If her loyal subjects are forced to downsize or live with relatives when the cost of ones home upkeep exceeds ones income then it should be good enough for Her Majesty too!
Plenty of other couples in their dotage manage in a one bedroomed bungalow... must be hard living in a palace!
- Lady L, London, UK, 28/06/2007 13:39
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I am a Royalist. However, she and her son have plenty of money so let them pay for it rather than the taxpayer getting clobbered as usual! We give them enough money as it is, when some old folk can't afford a hot meal let alone pay their bills.
- Sue, Orpington, Kent, 28/06/2007 13:35
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My house needs new double glazing, frot door, kitchen - would maam like to cough up - no I didn't think so, so neither do I. I suggest you pay for it yourself.
- Fly, London, 28/06/2007 13:13
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It costs more to run the Elysee Palace alone - for the benefit of an impermanent French president - than we pay our Queen who is the most superb ambassador for the UK, and on top of that brings in hundreds of millions of tourist pounds each year. Give the lady the money.
- Robin, London UK, 28/06/2007 13:01
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How about we ditch them, turn Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, etc into hotels and let them pay for themselves?
- Trevor Roll, London, 28/06/2007 12:27
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What a cheek!
- Jose, London, 28/06/2007 12:25
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There are many elderly home owners who could do with some cash to maintain their properties who are currently on a basic pension. Sorry Maam get your son to cough up some of his vast wealth and help you out after all he will benefit in the long run.
- Mike Melbourne, Bedford, 28/06/2007 12:19
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Definitely not, these people are loaded so why should us taxpayers foot the bill...
- Sarah, London, 28/06/2007 12:12
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Does Her Majesty not have insurance?
- Paul, London, 28/06/2007 11:56
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Did Charles not just buy a castle in Scotland for about £45 million? Seems the royals have plenty of dosh.
If old Queenie paid less to the likes of Fergie and the other "hanger-oners", then I am sure she will find the extra million a year.
- Frank, Home Counties, England, 28/06/2007 11:42
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Of course we should pay. Royal Family or no Royal Family, these palaces are part of our heritage and belong to the nation. Charity begins at home.
- Jane, London, 28/06/2007 11:40
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I can't believe taxpayers will have to bare the cost of this work. Is it not enough that Londoners are having to stump up for the 2012 Olympics now we are being told that we have to pay to keep the Royal Family in the style that they are accustomed to. It makes me sick, to think there are people struggling to pay their Council Tax bill yet one of the richest families in Britain cannot afford to pay for the upkeep of their own homes.
- S. Tardy, Hammersmith, 28/06/2007 11:23
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Why does the taxpayer have to pay more towards the upkeep of these buildings? I thought the proceeds from members of the public visiting Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Frogmore House already go towards the restoration work of these buildings? Why can't the Royal Family dip into their own pockets to pay for this work?
- L. Tierney, Islington, 28/06/2007 11:15
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Why on earth should we pay for fixing the royal house? If we could actually visit it and go in it, then fine - but, since we've been barred from going in for years, forget it. I say no.
- James, London, 28/06/2007 11:13
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Of course we should give her the money! They're our Royals! We pay for them so we pay for the house - not really cricket, is it? Love the Royals and the palaces. We should look after them since once they are gone, there will be no more like them.
- Queen Beena, Wembley, 28/06/2007 11:12
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