Queen Elizabeth might be the reigning monarch of the U.K. and several other Commonwealth countries. However, it has taken her over 200 years to get permission to have a leak fixed inside her official residence in Buckingham Palace.
According to The Telegraph, the Westminster City Council finally granted Queen Elizabeth to do repair works for the roof of her London home. Surprisingly, this has been on the to-do-list of the royal family since 1831.
The application for the repair work indicates that rain penetrating in the south west tower of the palace's asphalt roof and a chimney stack have led to fissures. Thus, the roof needed to be repaired with a "more durable covering."
In January and months ahead of the coronavirus lockdown, an inspection was done to the roofing problem that exposed some cracks and blistering. Royal aides were told that the structure was in very poor condition.
According to Yahoo News, Martin Ashley Architects has been hired to do the repair work, which will be done section by section because of the scale of the damage. Delaying the repair work could bring even more catastrophic results as several art collection could be ruined by rainwater.
The royal family came to own Buckingham Palace since 1762, when King George III bought the house for his wife, Queen Charlotte. John Nash was later tasked to do an extensive remodelling of the house with the addition of two more wings during the reign of King George VI.
In the 1830s, Buckingham Palace was not the official home of the ruling monarch, King William IV. Instead, he offered the site for the Parliament's use.
When Queen Victoria reigned, Buckingham Palace became known as the official royal residence. She further commissioned more remodeling and opened the palace for tourists.
This year, however, Buckingham Palace will remain close as tours have been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Other royal houses, such as Windsor, Frogmore House and Clarence House, will also not welcome visitors and those who've made ticket bookings ahead of time will receive refunds.
Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth will be staying in Windsor Castle for the rest of the summer season instead of traveling to Balmoral. While she's in her country home, Buckingham Palace will undergo further repair works and renovation, which has been a long-planned and long-term project, given the historical significance of the building.
