The Queen is said to be furious at being forced to live a 'patch and mend' existence as her palaces crumble around her. Aides say the rising cost of living means she cannot pay for long-overdue redecorating and rewiring in the state rooms at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.They have not been painted since she came to the throne 56 years ago and the electrics at the palace are untouched since 1948.
There are also problems with leaky roofs, asbestos contamination and damaged guttering. The parlous state of the royal buildings was revealed as the Queen's accounts were released for the year to April.
The main points of the accounts were:
* The cost to the taxpayer of the Royal Family last year was £40million - equivalent to 66p per person per year.
* The Civil List payment to the Queen has risen to £12.7million.
* The cost of royal travel shot up to £6.2million last year.
* Aides claim there is a £32million 'black hole' in the budget for essential palace maintenance.
Royal finances are now also being hit by the credit crunch, which has exacerbated the refusal to give her any more money for repairs.Sources close to the Queen admitted she is growing increasingly concerned about the crisis and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's stonewalling of requests for extra funds.Last year's bill to the taxpayer of £40million does not include the cost of security provided by the Army and police.
The Queen also received a £500,000 'pay rise' - taking her Civil List payment from the Government, used to fund her official duties, to £12.7million. That is an inflation-busting increase of 4.1 per cent. Although she is ranked as one of the wealthiest women in Britain with a personal fortune of £320million, only a small proportion of this is cash and the upkeep of her residence is funded by a government grant.Leaks in the roof of the palace's picture gallery have been identified as a threat to works by masters such as Rembrandt.
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There are also problems with leaky roofs, asbestos contamination and damaged guttering. The parlous state of the royal buildings was revealed as the Queen's accounts were released for the year to April.
The main points of the accounts were:
* The cost to the taxpayer of the Royal Family last year was £40million - equivalent to 66p per person per year.
* The Civil List payment to the Queen has risen to £12.7million.
* The cost of royal travel shot up to £6.2million last year.
* Aides claim there is a £32million 'black hole' in the budget for essential palace maintenance.
Royal finances are now also being hit by the credit crunch, which has exacerbated the refusal to give her any more money for repairs.Sources close to the Queen admitted she is growing increasingly concerned about the crisis and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's stonewalling of requests for extra funds.Last year's bill to the taxpayer of £40million does not include the cost of security provided by the Army and police.
The Queen also received a £500,000 'pay rise' - taking her Civil List payment from the Government, used to fund her official duties, to £12.7million. That is an inflation-busting increase of 4.1 per cent. Although she is ranked as one of the wealthiest women in Britain with a personal fortune of £320million, only a small proportion of this is cash and the upkeep of her residence is funded by a government grant.Leaks in the roof of the palace's picture gallery have been identified as a threat to works by masters such as Rembrandt.
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