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Buckingham Palace needs $ 105,000 for wardrobes |
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June 23, 2000
LONDON (AP) - British taxpayers spent 15 million pounds (dlrs 22 million) on maintenance of royal palaces last year – including 70,000 pounds (dlrs 105,000) for a set of new wardrobes at Buckingham Palace.
An auditors' report released on Thursday itemizes the cost of upkeep on the royal family's homes, including Buckingham Palace; Windsor Castle; St. James's Palace, where Prince Charles has his office; Clarence House, home to the Queen Mother Elizabeth; and Kensington Palace.
The figure is 800,000 pounds (dlrs 1.2 million) lower than the year before. For the first time, the National Audit Office, the government's spending watchdog, was given access to the complete records of the Royal Household.
A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said the cost of the wardrobes included fireproofing, reinforcing floors and extra work carried our for security reasons.
"This was work done on rooms which are not living quarters, but are storage areas," she said. Despite noting some delays and cost overruns, the auditors said the palaces represented good value for money.
Property services in the royal palaces are funded by a grant from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. That grant has fallen sharply from 29 million pounds (dlrs 22 million) in 1991, when the Royal Household took over responsibility for management from the government.
"They are managing this work well," said chief auditor Sir John Bourn. |