Palace Coup: Buckingham Tours a Hit
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LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II reaped a $3.3-million profit from opening Buckingham Palace to tourists and curious taxpayers, the palace said Saturday.
The head of state moved to Scotland for two months as Buckingham Palace was opened to the public for the first time to help raise funds to repair Windsor Castle, ravaged by fire last year.
“The queen said she was well-satisfied with the amount raised for the restoration of Windsor Castle and very pleased with the results,” said spokesman Dickie Arbiter.
By the time the public doors to the 18 state rooms closed Friday, 377,000 people--25% more than forecast--had taken the tour of some of the lavishly decorated halls.
The $12 palace tour is expected to become an annual event to help the Queen meet the $60-million bill for Windsor.
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