Queen of England Demands Money Designated for Poor

Documents reveal the Queen of England demanded £60m ($30 million US dollars) worth of energy-saving grants designated for poor families to heat Buckingham Palace instead of government sponsored housing or hospitals. Aides complained to ministers in 2004 that the Queen's gas and electricity bills, which had increased by 50 per cent that year, stood at more than £1m a year and had become "untenable". The Royal Household also complained that the £15m government grant to maintain the Queen's palaces was inadequate. Taxpayers already contribute £38m to pay for the Royal Family. Documents show that the Royal Household's gas bill had risen from £319,000 in 2002 to £526,000 in 2006. Electricity had increased by an even bigger margin, jumping from £249,000 to £513,000 over the same period. Last year thermal imaging technology, used to identify and measure energy waste, showed heat pouring through the closed curtained windows, the roof and cracks in the walls.