Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II might have to move out of BuckinghamPalace for an extended period under plans being considered to allow builders to carry out millions of pounds of repairs to the crumbling building.
The 300-year-old palace needs about 150 million pounds ($240 million) worth of work to fix the roofs and replace old wiring, ancient decorating and dated plumbing, a royal source said on Wednesday.
“It is one of a number of potential options as we take forward the essential maintenance of thepalace,” the royal source said.
Where Will the Queen Stay?
If she does have to move out, the queen has several official residences to choose from, including Windsor Castle west of London, Sandringham House in Norfolk, Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh and Balmoral Castle further north in Scotland.
178 Years of the Palace
Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms including 52 royal and guest bedrooms and 188 bedrooms for staff. It was bought by King George III for his wife Queen Charlotte and has served as the official London residence of Britain’s monarchs since 1837.
In January 2014, lawmakers accused the royal household of neglecting repairs at the palace, saying its electrical wiring and boilers were at least 60 years old and it had asbestos that needed to be removed.
Longest-reigning monarch
Official figures on Wednesday showed the 89-year-old queen, who will overtake Queen Victoria as Britain’s longest-reigning monarch in September, spent 35.7 million pounds in the last financial year. Public funding for the monarch will increase to almost 43 million pounds next year.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)