Queen Elizabeth's official residence is Buckingham Palace and she also owns several houses as the monarch and the head of the Crown. Her children -- Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward -- live in houses with maintenance and security paid for by taxpayers' money but an anti-monarchist group's leader said this must end.
Graham Smith of the Republic told Daily Express that, apart from the heir, Prince Charles, the U.K. taxpayers do not need to support Queen Elizabeth's other children -- Anne, Andrew and Edward. He said that there is no justification for why the people should keep paying for "20 royal residences" and give the royals these luxurious privileges at the expense of the taxpayers.
Princess Anne lives in Gatcombe Park in Gloucestershire, which the Queen bought as a wedding gift to her only daughter in 1976. The renovation work done on the mansion was paid for by the Crown or the taxpayers' money but it is generally Princess Anne and her husband, Timothy Laurence's private residence.
Prince Andrew lives in the Royal Lodge inside the Windsor Castle estate. The Royal Lodge has been part of the Crown since the mid-17th century. It is considered as a royal country retreat and has been leased to the Duke of York for 75 years. Under the lease, Prince Andrew has to pay for any refurbishing work of the Royal Lodge but if his renovation works exceed a certain amount, then he won't be required to pay the annual rent.
Prince Edward also has the same lease agreement for living in Bagshot Park. Located near Windsor and Berkshire, the property has been in the royal family since the 1600s. At one point, Bagshot Park was used by the Royal Army Chaplain as a church house.
Smith believes that the cost of these houses continues to drain public money. The anti-monarchist has been pushing to abolish the monarchy for decades. The leader of the group said that the U.K. needs to become a republic and elect a head of state, instead of having one that inherits the position.
The anti-monarchist also criticized that the Queen is not an effective head of state because she chooses to be neutral on several issues that the government has to decide on. Smith pointed out that a head of state must intervene and question the political system if she sees something wrong with it. However, because of the Queen's stance to stay apolitical, Smith said that she is basically a powerless head of state.
