Queen faces big repair bill for Charles’s London home

PRINCE CHARLES’S official London residence is set for a costly makeover in the New Year.

Royal staff have applied for permission to carry out an urgent ‘major repair programme’ on Clarence House, which dates from the early 19th Century.

The works will be paid for from the Government’s annual Sovereign Grant to the Queen, set at £86million next year.

In planning documents submitted to the City of Westminster Council, architects outline the ‘substantial repairs’ required on the north side of the mansion in St James’s.

A heritage statement says that ‘areas of the render are failing and there are cracks and damage to decorative mouldings’. It adds: ‘If the works are not carried out, the render will continue to fail and eventually the appearance of the building will be compromised.

‘The failure of the render could also compromise the underlying structure leading to more substantial issues.’

The architects from Purcell, based in Canterbury, warn that the property’s west facade will then need similar repairs.

And they add that ‘repairs will also be undertaken to damaged moulded elements of the facade’. A summary of the work states there will be a ‘removal of the existing paint finish’ followed by repair of the render, reinstating lost profiles and adding ‘new lead weatherings’ to the cornices.

Clarence House currently has a two-tone colour scheme, with the walls described as ‘putty’ colour and the architectural detailing ‘off-white’.

The property was built as a villa for the Duke of Clarence between 1825 and 1827 to a design by architect John Nash.

The house was the Queen Mother’s residence before

Prince Charles took over in 2003.

It is understood the repairs will begin next year after a tendering process to provide best value.