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Queen 'may have to move out of Buckingham Palace' amid £150m revamp

Around £150 million needs to be spent on a major revamp of Buckingham Palace, according to royal sources - and the Queen may need to move out while the work is done.

The full scale of the refurbishment project was outlined as the annual royal financial statement was released, revealing the official figure for royal expenditure was £35.7 million - the equivalent of 56p per person.

The sum, known as the Sovereign Grant, will help pay for some of the works, though additional funding may be needed.

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Royal workers take fewer sick days than UK average

Royal household staff take fewer sick days than the UK average, clocking up 5.8 each compared to the typical worker's 6.6, the monarchy's annual financial statement reveals.

Inside the correspondence room at Buckingham Palace, where staff take fewer sick days than the UK average Credit: PA

A Buckingham Palace aide said the healthier record of royal workers was down to "almost no internal politics", as staff were simply happy to serve the Queen - as well as a comprehensive benefits package including in-house medics, access to leisure facilities and a colleagues' football team.

We're not a money-orientated organisation. There is almost no internal politics in the place - you can't have the top job because you're not born the right way. It's gone and we know who the successor is.

At the end of the day, you just do your very best to serve the Queen and that seems to make for a very healthy organisation.

– Buckingham Palace aide
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Queen 'may have to move out of Buckingham Palace' amid £150m revamp

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