London, June 27:The British Queen is short of cash to maintain royal buildings like the Buckingham Palace due to a freeze in Government grant for the monarch’s property, a top palace official said on Friday.

However, the cost of maintaining Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family has seen a rise of £2 million last year, standing at £40 million, according to palace accountants.

Royal officials blamed the increase of 5.3 per cent on higher maintenance and utility bills as also the increase in travel costs due to a series of foreign trips undertaken by the Queen.

Buckingham Palace disclosed in Queen’s annual financial report released on Friday that there is a yawning £32 million “black hole” in the finances which has caused a major backlog of essential repairs.

The Queen’s budget for maintaining Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and other royal buildings has been frozen by the Government for the next three years. The palace is now seeking a minimum £4 million annual increase in the £15 million grant for the maintenance of the royal palaces. Ministers have pointedly refused the request from the Queen, according to TimesOnline.

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