To think this is an obscene amount for the queens home.

[heartskey]

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/nov/18/buckingham-palace-to-undergo-370m-refurbishment
Its all right for some isn't it. Sod the rest of us, we're just the mugs paying for it. What a bloody burden this family are.

fairylea

But surely if you don't like the way our country is ruled you have the chance to vote to make a change?

Or leave the country?

If you hate it that much then you don't have to stay......

Tourists like to visit Buckingham Palace.

They also like to visit the Tower of London.

They don't get to see people executed, or to see our marvelous royal family close up.

I can't help but see an opportunity here.

I second Palomb.

It stands for the best, is symbolical and is as much for the country as it is for the Queen.

The money comes from the Crown Estate, of which she receives only 15% of the annual profits. The rest goes to the treasury. So it's not coming from your taxes, it's coming from commercial investments.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38025513

I'm watching CIN and it occurred to me that they could do similar for BP and then those who want to preserve British Heritage can donate to watch Prince Charles appear in an Eastenders musical performance.

I thought times were hard which is why services and funding are being cut to the bone. But we've luckily found £350 million down the back of the sofa so hooray!

Donald, I do not know your circumstances, but you are not out on the streets if you are using a computer somewhere. You may well be as rich compared to a poor person starving somewhere in the cold with no heat light or water or real house, as the Queen is rich compared to you.

Nope

Last week the benefit cap made it untenable for families on the breadline to afford even social housing yet mum of four on state handouts gets £369m to do up her house.

Sorry - ONE of her houses.

katsandkids so you think the queen has the final say in what goes on in the country??? Sorry to disappoint, but no she doesn't.
"what do I do for the country"?
What the hell has that to do with it, I'm not bleeding it dry, is that good enough for you?

kats that arguement is so weak

For 350 million it would be easier to knock it down and start from scratch.
I have a feeling that this won't happen. Certainly not on this scale. They are just announcing 350 million so we are grateful when it only turns out to be 50 million.

I'm not bleeding it dry neither.

But you asked what the queen did for you-so I asked what you did for our country.

I'm not saying it couldn't be better spent elsewhere.

I'm sure it could.

But isn't the queen our heritage?

The brexit bus said we would save 350 mil so that leaves us 20 mil to spare

The money comes from the Crown Estate, of which she receives only 15% of the annual profits. The rest goes to the treasury
Only 15%? that's a hell of a lot, but she gets much more that for different things. The finances of the Royal family are shrouded in secrecy. The crown estates weren't legally gotten by the royals anyway. If the Royal family ceased to be the entire profit from the estates would immediately revert back to the UK.

I can think of a whole raft of ways taxpayers money is spent that I think is a far greater waste than this

She lives her life in a fish bowl, still works despite her great age and brings in millions from tourism. I think she's worth every penny.

Oh yes. I am sure people who go foodbanks and cannot afford to feed their kids and live on the poverty line and cannot afford to save a deposit for a home are thinking, 'as long as we have our heritage'. As a pp said, when people have ro raise charity money for disabled children and their families, to have a scrap of a life that is made slighy easier, seeing hundreds of millions of pounds spent upon one birthright family, are thinking, ahhh its our heritage. Can you not see the unfairness of it all. At least admit that?

Finally!

Someone on team Kats

Yes YABU

Have you seen any of the pictures showing the state of the systems?

It's actually unsafe. Much of the plumbing and wiring is over 40 years old. If there was a thread about a family living in such unsafe conditions everyone would be aghast. Think about the many people that work at the palace not just the royal family.

It's not a home - it's a historic landmark that is at risk from decades of poor maintenance.

What do you expect? Leave it to rot?

The monarchy shouldn't pay for this. It's a "tool" of the job that brings in huge amounts of revenue to our country.

They do pay for the upkeep of private residences (as they should) but the palace is far from that.

Quite frankly I'm at the threads on this.