Should The Royals Pay For Their Own Repairs?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3949430/One-s-got-builders-Queen-stay-living-Buckingham-Palace-370m-refurb-ten-years-replace-500-pieces-sanitary-ware.html

[Khandro]

andy-hughes; //I visited The Palace Of Versailles on my honeymoon, and I found the sheer splendour and majesty and history of the place was not remotely compromised by the absence of a French Royal Family living in it.//

Very telling; you are more impressed by the shadow of the Chateau de Versailles than the substance of Buckingham Palace.

[jackthehat]

///Just an observation. Do,you only surface Jackthehat to criticise anotheoldgit and his posts,on here. Just saying ....... ///

No, I criticise quite a few others, too......

[Old_Geezer]

This is the issue with this "Crown Estate" arrangement. As I understand it both the public and the royal family can claim they don't own it. I approve of such a magnificent building being maintained, but it seems to me that if the public is acting as landlord and paying for the maintenance, one ought to look into what rent those living there is paying for the privilege. Also as it seems we are all landlords I'd like to know when my timeshare is due so I can have my week's vacation there.

[dieseldick]

royals have had enough money from public, they should stand alone, they should pay their own way.

[douglas9401]

Gawd bless her, etc.

It's easy to look on this stuff with a jaundiced eye.

Thankfully.

[DTCwordfan]

They could always get the useless Prince Deadwood to make an ongoing Ardent documentary of the work - and also open it up for rich grockels from China, Japan, Russia and the States to come and see....a few discreetly placed look-alikes of Her Maj and the main family with collection buckets in their hands would also be recommended.

[DTCwordfan]

And they could hire the Obamas as tour guides...and a free hand on the female visitor's rump. £50 a pic.

[EcclesCake]

You opened the bottle early this evening DTC!

[DTCwordfan]

No drink yet, Eccles - just being a tad facetious/cynical - it's needed here...what a silly thread.

How's your sherry by the way?

[TTG]

The Queen does not own the palace so on paper and going by the rules, does not have to. It would, however, endear herself even more to the tax payers if she made a contribution. She is the richest woman in the world I believe. If it was myself, I could not standby and not do so.

[Togo]

andy-hughes; //I visited The Palace Of Versailles on my honeymoon, and I found the sheer splendour and majesty and history of the place was not remotely compromised by the absence of a French Royal Family living in it.//

Khandro//Very telling; you are more impressed by the shadow of the Chateau de Versailles than the substance of Buckingham Palace.//

Plus no one is in residence. I bet the French were up in arms about it when they did the place up, wasting taxpayer's money on a Royalist empty shell. Unless we were paying for it with EU contributions.

[anneasquith]

In truth Buckingham palace is quite an ugly building, this refurbishment is to last for 50 years approx, why not demolish and rebuild, just how many rooms are actually used on a daily basis? Its not as if the family have no other residence to use, so no need for them to decamp into a caravan .!ll!!!!

[DTCwordfan]

I know the answer, anne, just transpose this building into London, as the Duck of Westminster has expired.

http://l7.alamy.com/zooms/f4699aca71a74f14a41bf30196757219/duke-of-westminster-with-his-at-their-home-called-eaton-hall-in-cheshire-aya3a1.jpg

But then, it's not that much different to the current US Embassy on Grosvenor Square.....shifties all around, perhaps??? And I bet Donnie T will approve of such real estate dealing.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/US_Embassy_London_view_from_SE.jpg

[Togo]

Her Majesty loathes the place and would gladly move out. Don't blame her.

[anneasquith]

Togo. No one is stopping her .

[DTCwordfan]

"Holyrood, here I come. Whether Philip does, that's another matter....."

[andres]

When we eventually Brexit ,one weeks EU money should just about cover the bill.!

[sp1814]

No - Buckingham Palace isn't owned by the royal family. It's not their asset, and although they live there, the building is also used for official state functions.

If we demand that the Royal Family pays for its upkeep, then by logical extension they should be able to charge us for every state dinner, function, ceremony hosted there.

[jd_1984]

The Queen spends about a third of her time at the palace, it is effectively an administration HQ - it is no secret that its her least favourite residence. I don't see it as the "Queen's home"

I empathise with the outcry by some who will say There is a national housing crisis, the NHS is in crisis - Now the Royals expect us to dig deeper to refurbish Buckingham Palace

One point I read in a forum said;

"if any normal citizen owned several properties and needed to repair one of them they would be expected to either borrow against the value of their assets or sell one of the properties to fund the repairs. not be bailed out by public funds. Why should the royals be any different ? "

Yep, some merit to that argument to.

This will undoubtedly give anti-royalists a soap box to have a good chirp. Ultimately, in our life times, the way the royal's operate will not change.

[Khandro]

//Her Majesty loathes the place and would gladly move out.//
But it's so handy for popping down to Harrods.