Royal palaces set to reopen: Hampton Court and Hillsborough Castle will welcome visitors next week with sanitiser stations and reduced ticket numbers – as the charity that manages the sites faces a £96M shortfall
- Hampton Court Palace and Hillsborough Castle are to reopen next week
- They are managed by Historic Royal Palaces alongside four other sites
- HRP is facing a £96million shortfall this year due to closures caused by COVID-19
- Some 80% of staff were furloughed and there are voluntary redundancies
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
Two of the UK’s palaces are preparing to open to visitors next week, it was announced today.
Hampton Court Palace, in London, and Hillsborough Castle, in Northern Ireland, will open their gates on 18 June.
There will be new measures put in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19, including reduced visitor numbers and hand sanitiser stations throughout the grounds. Visitors will also only be allowed in the outdoor spaces of the palaces.
Hampton Court Palace, in London, and Hillsborough Castle, in Northern Ireland, will open their gates on 18 June, it was announced today. Pictured, stock image of Hampton Court
It will be welcome news to staff at Historic Royal Palaces (HRP), the organisation that manages the sites.
The independent charity, which is contracted to oversee six historic residences including Kensington Palace and the Tower of London, receives no funding from the Government or the Crown and instead depends on the support of visitors, members, donors, volunteers and sponsors, which has been hard hit by COVID-19 closures.
A spokesperson revealed the company is facing a £96million shortfall this year.
In a bid to save money, 80 per cent of staff were furloughed as part of the government scheme. The relief has been ‘vital’ to the organisation’s survival, the spokesperson said.
Hillsborough Castle, in Northern Ireland, pictured, will also reopen. It will be welcome news to staff at Historic Royal Palaces (HRP), the organisation that manages the sites
Meanwhile 1,100 staff, including the Beefeaters of the Tower of London, will see a 20 per cent pay cut from July until October, My London reported.
A voluntary redundancy scheme has been launched and compulsory redundancies are expected to follow.
Among those furloughed are the gardeners at Kensington Palace, the London home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as well as other members of the royal family.
Posting on LinkedIn this week, the head gardener revealed 75 per cent of his team had been furloughed.