Kate Middleton and Prince William board Royal Train

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are currently on a three-day tour of Britain to thank all the frontline workers who have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic. Yet, the Royal Family has not been unaffected by the pandemic either. As the tourism industry has shrunk, reports suggest the monarchy faces a £33million shortfall in profits this year, leading some to question why money was being spent on the Royal Train.

One Twitter user asked: “We still have a ‘Royal Train’? How many nurses, policemen, doctors, public health officers, teachers would that pay for?”

Some royal fans have pointed out that the couple have not been on any international tours since lockdown began in March, so it is likely that the money saved from such trips is being used for this nationwide journey.

Still, others claimed “this is so badly timed, it’s unbelievable” as most of the public have been advised to “stay home and save lives”.

However, not many know that the train itself was almost scrapped in 2017.

Sir Alan Reid, the Keeper of the Privy Purse, told MPs in 2013 that the vehicle would be too expensive to replace the worn down elements of the train.

We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

Some of its rolling stock dated back to the Seventies, and only expected to last between five and 10 more years at the time.

Along with the extensive bill that comes with running the train — it cost £800,000 in 2016, and £900,000 the year before that — Sir Alan said it would be a “major decision” to replace the run-down parts.

He concluded: “The figures are quite staggering.”

However, Palace aides then examined the train a few years later and found it was in better condition than previously assumed.

The Telegraph noted that it had been “ready for the scrapheap”, but a source said upon inspection, the Palace decided there was “no end in sight” to the vehicle’s use.

An insider explained: “Tests have revealed [the train] has more life in it than previously thought.

“There’s no end in sight to its use and no fixed, agreed horizon in terms of when it will become inoperable or be decommissioned.

“For the Queen and members of the Royal Family, it is a sensible and cost-effective way of travelling, enabling them to stay the night close to the location of an engagement the following day — but without causing the disruption or security costs that, say, a hotel in a city centre would entail.”

It is believed to be the Queen’s favourite mode of transport, too.

Royal biographer Penny Junor said: “The train is very dear to them.

DON’T MISS
Why Charlotte may never be granted Anne’s Princess Royal title [INSIGHT]
Harry ‘aimed home-truths at William’ in Meghan spat [EXPLAINED]
Charles insider hits out at The Crown over ‘wet’ portrayal of heir [EXPOSED]

“It’s fine for them to travel on public transport, but on the Royal Train they can sleep and, as the Royal Yacht was, it’s somewhere completely private, with everything they need on board.”

The Royal Yacht — HMY Britannia — was in service until 1997.

Its decommissioning ceremony caused great sadness to the royals, and the Queen was caught on camera looking teary-eyed during the occasion.

Ms Junor continued: “Everybody knows what [the Royal Train] means to them.

“Yes, there’s a cost attached to it, but there’s a cost attached to having a monarchy and it is what we want as a country.”

During usual years, the train makes approximately 15 trips at an average of £52 per mile.

During the Golden Jubilee year of 2002 its journeys cost a grand total of £872,000.

The Queen and Philip faced particularly strong backlash when they made a one-way trip from Windsor to York in 2012 which cost a staggering £20,221 — pushing the monarch to choose public transport to reduce costs in recent years.

Last year, only three trips were taken on the train, two by Prince Charles and another by the Queen — but it cost a total of £63,000.

Even so, Kate and William’s trip has been met with some resistance which is unrelated to cost.

They are travelling just five days after England’s lockdown was lifted, when many parts of the UK are still under strict restrictions.

Kate Middleton and William: Expert on couple's royal train tour

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon even chastised them for breaking lockdown restrictions for going north of the border, as it is currently an offence to travel between Scotland and England for non-essential purposes.

Ms Sturgeon said: “The Scottish Government was advised about the intention to visit, and we made sure that the royal household were aware, as you would expect, of the restrictions in place in Scotland so that could inform both the decision and the planning of the visit.”

However, that does not seem to have dampened Kate and William’s spirits.

They were waved off by Eighties pop star Shakin’ Stevens, who performed his hit ‘Merry Christmas Everyone’ to the couple and Euston Station’s staff when the royals left London last night.

Their first stop on the 1,250 mile trip was to Edinburgh, where they met frontline ambulance workers — and the couple seemed especially delighted to meet some festive reindeer, too.

They will then be heading down to Northumberland, to spread more Christmas cheer after the nation has endured an unprecedented and difficult year.

Source: Read Full Article