Queen Elizabeth II to trim costs as COVID-19 hits income

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and her family are facing a 35 million pound ($45 million) hit from coronavirus pandemic, partly due to a short of tourists, monarch’s money-manr said Friday.

Releasing royal household’s annual accounts, Keeper of Privy Purse Michael Stevens said a lack of income from visitors to royal buildings was likely to bring a general funding shortfall of 15 million pounds ($19 million) over three years.

He said impact of pandemic is also likely to cause a 20 million-pound ($25.4 million) shortfall in a 10-year, 369-million-pound program to replace antiquated heating, plumbing and wiring at Buckingham Palace, queen's London home.

Officials have said palace's aging infrastructure, which h its last major upgre after World War II, is at risk of a catastrophic failure if it's t replaced.

Stevens said royal household would t ask for more government money but would “look to man impact through our own efforts and efficiencies.”

Buckingham Palace has alrey introduced a staff pay freeze and a halt to hiring.

accounts show that monarchy cost British taxpayers 69.4 million pounds ($88.2 million) in year to end of March, an increase of 2.4 million ($3.1 million) on previous financial year.

accounts also show that Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, paid an undisclosed sum to reimburse public purse for rent and refurbishment of ir Frogmore Cott home near Windsor Castle. exact sum will appear in next year’s accounts. revation costs alone for home were 2.4 million pounds ($3.1 million.)

Harry, 36 and former Meghan Markle, 39, married at Windsor Castle in May 2018. couple anunced early this year y were quitting royal duties and moving to rth America, citing what y said was unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of British media. y recently bought a house in Santa Barbara, California.

Harry and Meghan signed a lucrative deal this month to produce nature series, documentaries and children’s programming for streaming service Netflix.