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Palaces & BuildingsQueen Elizabeth II

The Queen may need to find a temporary home as Buckingham Palace requires an overhaul

It has been the London based residence of the Monarch since Queen Victoria came to the Throne in 1837 though it is looking ever more likely that Her Majesty The Queen could be forced to move out of Buckingham Palace in order for maintenance work to be carried out. It is expected that the major renovations could cost up to £150m.

Buckingham Palace needs major renovation works and The Queen may have to move out.

Buckingham Palace needs major renovation works and The Queen may have to move out.

In one option being considered by the Royal Household, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh could move to their weekend home, Windsor Castle, on a more permanent basis until the work is complete. Surveyors have recently undertaken an assessment of the 300 year old building and their conclusion is that it needs a major overhaul, with the cheapest option being that the work would be done all in one go hence the reason why it needs to be vacated.

King George III acquired Buckingham House for Queen Charlotte in 1761 as her personal private residence, known as the ‘Queen’s House’ during the 19th century it was extensively enlarged by architects John Nash and Edward Blore and became the official royal palace of the British Monarch when Queen Victoria ascended the throne in 1837. Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms including 19 State Rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms and 78 bathrooms. During the Second World War the palace was bombed extensively, no less than seven times resulting in the destruction of the palace chapel in 1940. One such of those bombs fell in the palace quadrangle when King George VI and Queen Elizabeth were in residence.

Over the past year, the Royal Household has spent £2.1m on repairs to Buckingham Palace including removing asbestos, renewing lead roofing, relaying paths and refurbishing the State Glass Pantry. Though this repair work doesn’t seem to be enough, the palace needs major modernisation work including rewiring, replacing the very old plumbing and redecorating.

A Buckingham Palace source commented, “Buckingham Palace hasn’t been redecorated since the 1950s and it is in a significant state where it needs significant refurbishment. The initial estimates are that it needs £150m of work but that figure depends on how we go about the work, whether it is done in parts or all at the same time. One option is for the palace to be vacated. The other option would be to do it in sections and move people from one section to another.”

The news of Buckingham Palace’s refurbishment comes as the annual Sovereign Grant was released revealing that the Royal Household’s net expenditure for 2014/15 was £35.7m.

Photo Credit: Chris Favero
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