Inside King Charles’ major safety upgrade at Buckingham Palace worth £1.4M ahead of move in
The work has been going on since 2017
King Charles is reportedly moving from Clarence House to Buckingham Palace, but not before the palace gets a major upgrade.
The monarch doesn’t plan on moving in till 2027 so in the meantime, the 775-room residence is undergoing a slew of changes.
Buckingham Palace is getting an upgrade
King Charles’ future home is enduring a major renovation.
Buckingham Palace is undergoing a reservicing programme – meaning a comprehensive refurbishment of its essential systems and infrastructure.
As well as that, the 320 year old residence is having electrical cables and plumbing refreshed.
Additionally, Charles has reportedly asked for increased fire safety measures.
And his plans have a hefty price tag…
New fire safety features at Buckingham Palace
A fire compartmentation has been added within the roof, with a bill of £788,000.
“The installation of additional fire compartmentation within the roof void further increases fire asset protection within the Palace. This builds on the work undertaken by the Buckingham Palace Reservicing Programme,” according to the Sovereign Grant Annual Report.
A further £609,000 has been spent on additional vertical fire protection
The report continues to explain that the vertical fire protection “provides 120-minute resistance and additional protection for the building and contents. This builds on the work undertaken by the Buckingham Palace Reservicing Programme which focuses on fire safety.”
It is unsurprising that fire damage is a concern for the royals after their beloved Windsor Castle was partly destroyed in a devastating blaze in 1992.
The fire at Windsor Castle
The fire destroyed 115 rooms. 225 firefighters were needed to get the flames under control.
That year, King Charles’ mother Elizabeth admitted that it had been her annus horribilis – or a year of disaster or misfortune.
Not only was Windsor Castle destroyed, three of her children split from their spouses, a time period the late monarch was said to have found deeply “distressing”.
The fire at Windsor Castle started in Queen Victoria’s Private Chapel. A faulty spotlight ignited a curtain next to the altar, according to the Royal Collection Trust website.
Within minutes the blaze was “unstoppable” and it quickly spread to St George’s Hall next door.
The blaze was spotted around 11:30 in the morning.
At the peak of the extinguishing operation, firefighters were discharging one and a half million gallons of water.
King Charles is currently enlisting the help of apprentices to get the work done at Buckingham Palace.
Buckingham Palace renovation apprenticeship initiative
“This National Apprenticeship Week, meet some of the apprentices working on the Buckingham Palace Reservicing Programme helping to safeguard heritage related skills and to protect the Palace for future generations,” penned the @royalfamily official Instagram.
The jaw-dropping £369 million project commenced when Queen Elizabeth II was alive, in 2017.
It is set to be completed in 2027.
Despite reports that King Charles is expected to move into Buckingham Palace upon completion, royal editor Camilla Tominey told The Telegraph that his moving in his unlikely.
Tominey stated: “One concession to his health and advancing years that has been made, however, is that it appears unlikely he will ever move from Clarence House to Buckingham Palace after the restoration is completed in three years’ time.
“Although it will remain the household’s office for the rest of his reign.”
Royal Insider has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.
Read more: King Charles ‘unlikely to live in Buckingham Palace’ after refurbishment completes
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