The Queen will return to live in Buckingham Palace soon in order to justify a £369 million renovation funded by the taxpayer, a royal expert has claimed.
- The Queen may return to live at Buckingham Palace, at least temporarily, in the coming months.
- Her Majesty moved to Windsor Castle with her late husband, Prince Philip, at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, and has not been back to stay at Buckingham Palace since.
- In other royal news, Prince William and Kate Middleton celebrate major family occasion in France.
Call the moving trucks—the Queen could be about to up sticks.
Her Majesty has been residing at Windsor Castle in Berkshire since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, but it looks like she may return to the Royal Family's headquarters in London someday soon.
Buckingham Palace, the Queen's official primary residence, is currently undergoing a ten-year-long £369 million renovation to upgrade a number of its services.
The extensive project will see multiple upgrades to the iconic 775-room property, including the installation of new plumbing and electricity. The roof of the palace is also being replaced to accommodate eco-friendly solar panels, while new lifts and ramps will be added to improve its accessibility. The hefty venture, which is on track to be finished on time, is expected to extend the building's lifespan for another 50 years.
Buckingham Palace
And while the Queen may not plan to stay at Buckingham Palace for another half a century, it does look like she hopes to spend more time there in the near future. In fact, she may even choose to split her time between Windsor Castle (her favorite royal residence) and the iconic monarchial property as its refurbishments continue.
"She is doing engagements at Buckingham Palace from October onwards so I think we will see her have some audiences there and she can easily go up for the day for a few hours," Sunday Times correspondent Roya Nikkah predicted on The Royal Beat.
The move could also be good for optics, helping the public reconcile with the massive cost of the refurbishment.
"Will she resume residence again at Buckingham Palace? I think she will because I think to justify a £369 million publicly-funded refurb, to never have our monarch never live again there, a lot of people might ask what's the point?" said Nikkah.
"I think she could possibly resume residence there fully from next year for the Jubilee."
