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Queen needs 1m pounds for 'Crumblingham Palace'

The Queen has appealed to ministers for an extra £1 million a year to help with urgent repairs after being told that Buckingham Palace is falling apart, it emerged yesterday.

One huge chunk of stone has already fallen from the East Wing facade into the quadrangle missing the Princess Royal's parked car by a few inches, her aides revealed.

Another chunk fell on the same day that hundreds of guests visited the palace to attend a science reception - though not when the visitors were there.

Such is the deterioration of the East Wing, made of Caen stone imported from France in 1847, that it was "now a major risk to health and safety", according to the Queen's public finance report released yesterday.

The deterioration of the Caen stone - unlike the more robust Bath stone used elsewhere in the palace - is said to be "very significant".
Read entire article at Telegraph (UK)