Buckingham Palace, the abode of Queen Elizabeth II for almost nine decades, apparently needs serious renovation. The British government has said recently that there is a grave risk of flood, fire and damage to the Royal Collection of Art, which belongs to the nation.
The renovation on the building will start on April and will take a decade to be completed. The entire project costs £369 million or $456 million. Buckingham Palace joins the list of prominent structures in Britain that need work, along with the Palace of Westminster which houses the British Parliament.
Queen Elizabeth II's Home, Buckingham Palace, Needs An Overhaul
Queen Elizabeth II executes most of her official, ceremonial and diplomatic functions as head of state in the Buckingham Palace. She has several other homes, including Windsor Castle. The castle experienced a major fire in 1992 that lasted for nine hours and damaged major parts of the castle, as reported by New York Times. Officials cited that incident as one reason for renovating Buckingham Palance. According to the British Treasury, a similar fire in the palace's single wing might cost as much as £250 million.
Buckingham Palace is massive, with 775 rooms, 19 of which are staterooms, 52 royal and guest rooms, 188 staff rooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms. There is about 100 miles of electrical cabling that needs replacement, together with 6,500 electrical wall outlets, 330 fuse boxes and 5,000 light fixtures. The plumbers will need to replace 500 bathroom fixtures and 2,500 radiators. There is also about 7.4 acres of floorboards that needs replacement.
Anti-Monarchy Group Blasts The Queen For Mismanagement Of Royal Funds
The monarchy is funded by the Crown Estate revenue, which comes from the lands that are owned by the royal family. The royals were previously receiving a Sovereign Grant at 15 percent but will now rise to 25 percent to finance of the Buckingham Palace repair. The increase, however, will only last until the project is completed.
Graham Smith, CEO of anti-monarchy group Republic, said that the move is an absolute disgrace. According to him, these only prove of the Queen's shameful mismanagement of royal finances over the past decades. Smith chided that, if the royals cannot take care of the buildings and come up with their own revenue to fund the maintenance then, it is time to give them up. He further stated that while everyone is cutting costs, the palace keeps bleeding out the taxpayer.
The government, however, stated that the investment is money properly spent. "Tourists flock to the country due to its heritage, culture and royal legacy. It is estimated that more than half a million people visit the building every summer and these supports thousands of jobs. We have to ensure that architectural and historic nature of our greatest buildings are protected for future generations," David Gauke, the chief of treasury said.
