Coronavirus: Royal budget hit by closures and fall in tourism during pandemic
Royal palaces are closed to the public at a time of year when they would usually be preparing to welcome thousands of tourists.
Tuesday 19 May 2020 03:38, UK
The royal budget could lose millions of pounds due to palaces being closed to tourists during what is usually their most busy time.
Royal household staff have been told they face pay freezes and that projects have been put on hold due to the budget squeeze caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
The Sun newspaper reports Lord Chamberlain Earl Peel - the most senior official of the royal household - sent an email to staff warning that income is expected to fall by a third this year.
He said the royal household was "not immune" to the impact of the pandemic, adding: "We must therefore assume it could still be many weeks, if not months, before we are able to return to business as usual.
"There are undoubtedly very difficult times ahead and we realise many of you will be concerned."
Buckingham Palace would normally be preparing to welcome thousands of visitors between July and September while the queen spends summer at Balmoral in Scotland.
But last week it was confirmed the famous attraction would remain closed to visitors for the rest of the year - believed to be the first time this has happened since its doors first opened to the public in 1993.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: "The whole country is very likely to be impacted financially by coronavirus and the royal household is no exception.
"However, the time to address this issue will be when the full impact of all the implications of the current situation is clearer.
"At the moment the attention of the royal household is on ensuring it follows all the guidelines and supports the national effort in combating COVID-19."
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Frogmore House in Windsor and the Prince of Wales's London base Clarence House will also remain closed in 2020.
Garden parties and investitures at the palace have been cancelled, Trooping the Colour will not take place in its normal form and the royals are doing their public appearances by video call.
The measures are part of social distancing brought in to limit the spread of the coronavirus which has killed almost 320,000 people worldwide, including more than 34,000 in the UK.