Back in 2013, the extensive and expensive renovation of Duchess Kate and Prince William’s Kensington Palace “apartment” (it’s a mansion within a palace) was finally completed. It was completed past schedule and over budget, mostly because asbestos was found and it was especially costly to remove it. All of the renovations to KP were paid for by the Queen, and by “the Queen,” I mean the taxpayers. It came from the Queen’s “household budget,” which (from what I understand) is the allowance given to the Queen for the royal upkeep and such.
What was funny about the renovations was that as soon as Will and Kate moved in, there was a design emergency! Kate had cheaped-out on some of the paint choices while pregnant, so everything was a peasant shade of purple. So, as soon as they moved in, the place had to be redecorated. Combine that with the fact that their country estate, Anmer Hall, was also undergoing extensive taxpayer-funded renovations, and it’s no wonder they kept going on vacation after vacation. They were so stressed out! Well, there’s new news on the renovations to KP – the budget exploded and oh yeah, the Queen just gave William and Kate a helicopter.
Buckingham Palace has defended spending a seven-figure sum refurbishing the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Kensington Palace apartment. The taxpayer will foot the bill for extensive work on the property, including installing a new roof, overhauling the electrics and carrying out significant plumbing works.
A royal spokesman said repairs and refurbishments – reported to cost in the region of £4 million – would also see a “significant amount of internal building” to “return the residence to function as a living space”.
On Saturday Buckingham Palace also downplayed reports the Queen had taken on a new £8 million helicopter for the use of the Duke and Duchess, insisting that the lease represented good value for money. The couple’s Kensington Palace apartment was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and was the home of Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon. Princess Margaret remained there after their divorce and lived there until her death in 2002. The living space was last refurbished in 1963.
A royal spokesman said: “This is the Duke and Duchess’s one and only official residence. It is here that they plan to stay for many, many years to come. We also had to take into account the fact that Kensington Palace is a scheduled ancient monument, and all elements of the refurbishment had to be agreed with English Heritage. Often this meant ensuring a high standard of work in line with the historical significance of the Christopher Wren building.”
He said the Duke and Duchess “paid privately” for all the internal furnishings, including carpets and curtains. They were also at pains to ensure that the specification is not extravagant.
He added: “As with any other part of the estate, it was the royal household who were responsible for the refurbishment of the residence – where they could in the course of the procurement process, the royal household helped to bear down on cost. The household oversaw the planning, tendering and project management of the refurbishment and were responsible for the budget and spend.”
A spokesman for the Queen said the monarch had “secured an annual lease” for a helicopter, for a fixed number of hours. The spokesman said the helicopter would be used by members of the Royal Family – not exclusively the Duke, a qualified pilot having undertaken training with the RAF, and Duchess – and that the lease represented good value for money. He said: “It will provide an alternative to chartering a number of different helicopters.”
Ah, so Anmer Hall isn’t considered their “official residence.” Interesting. Only KP will be their official residence. Anyway, as I’ve said before – I understand that the renovations were needed for the most part, and it is a historical building, etc, etc. But as I also keep saying – we wouldn’t be paying this much attention to how much it costs to keep Kate and William in the lap of luxury if they actually put some effort into their royal work. If British taxpayers felt like they were getting a fair deal, that Will and Kate earned their keep, this wouldn’t be as big a story. As for the helicopter thing… I really don’t understand why Will and Kate think they need to travel by helicopter all the time, even when they’re just going 30 miles outside of London.
Oh, and as for the “privately funded” decorations – apparently, the Middleton family’s largesse was not behind it. Nor was William’s inheritance. Apparently, Prince Charles funded the decorations to the tune of £1.5million!! The Daily Mail says Charles agreed to pay for all of it, including £170,000 for the kitchen alone, including top-of-the-line appliances and three sinks, etc. Charles pays for Kate’s clothes too, you know.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
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