Republic is an organisation that campaigns for the abolishment of the monarchy and for Queen Elizabeth II to be replaced with an elected, democratic head of state. Graham Smith, the organisation’s CEO, told Express.co.uk that the UK taxpayer does not owe Princess Anne, Prince Andrew or Prince Edward a house.
Mr Smith said: “There are more than 20 royal residences and we pay for round the clock security for all of them, that needs to come to an end.
“There is some question over who owns Balmoral and Sandringham, it is sufficiently recognised that they are private properties, but they bought them with our money.
“Buckingham Palace could be a world-class tourist destination as an art gallery or museum if they opened up all the rooms and the gardens to tourists all year round.
“It already houses one of the largest art collections in the world yet most of it is hidden away.
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“The same with Windsor Castle, it could be run at a profit just like the Tower of London is and there is no reason why that should not happen.”
The Republic CEO continued: “As for all the other homes around the country, we do not owe Princess Anne a house, she can go and buy her own house.
“We do not owe Prince Andrew or Prince Edward a house, they can go and get their own homes.
“Yet we keep giving them these large extremely plush, luxurious residences in London and elsewhere at the taxpayers’ expense.
“If you have someone stepping in and intervening, then they also have to be accountable for the decisions they make.
“The Queen can’t do that and won’t do that.”
The Republic CEO added: “This really comes down to one of the big reason why we need to get rid of the monarchy.
“So, we can create the office of head of state and someone who can intervene and referee the political system when there are these big constitutional questions.”
