Queen Elizabeth's Palace SOS

Jun 29, 2007, 13:00 GMT

Britain's Queen Elizabeth has asked for £1 million-a-year from the government to fund urgent repairs to Buckingham Palace.

The London palace, which has been the home of the British monarchy since 1837, is falling apart after decades of neglect.

There is serious damage to walls in the palace quadrangle, with around twenty chunks of stone having fallen off since February, some of which have only narrowly missed visitors.

The annual report on royal public finances warns the damage to the walls has become "a major health and safety risk" and needs £3 million spent on it over the next five years.

It is just one repair project which has been put on hold because of the government's refusal to increase the £15 million-a-year grant it has given the palace for property maintenance since 1991.

Other work which needs to be carried out include repairs to the roofs of both Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.

Sir Alan Reid, Keeper of the Privy Purse, said: "Since the grant was fixed by the government in 1991 it has effectively been reduced by 69 per cent in real terms. Now there is a critical backlog in maintenance projects and if our historic buildings are to remain safe it is essential the grant is increased by £1 million per year."

However, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport has indicated that there is little chance of the extra cash being made available, especially because of the increased budget required to host the 2012 London Olympics.

(C) BANG Media International