Royal Palace Keeps Raking It In
Interest in this year’s Royal Wedding has resulted in record revenues for the Royal Collection from visits to Buckingham Palace and the sale of official souvenirs. The Collection, which charges the public for access to the palace and Windsor Castle and runs the Queen’s gift shops, saw its income rise by $12 million to $68.5 million in the year to April. Tourists interested in the April wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton meant there were 2.1 million visits to occupied royal palaces – up four per cent. A further spike in Collection revenues because of Buckingham Palace visits is expected in August, while the Queen takes her annual summer holiday in Scotland. But the good fortune — expected in part owing to tourists who want to see Kate’s wedding dress — did not prevent the Queen, when she saw the dress display (pictured), from pronouncing it “horrible” and “horrid.”
