This Article is From Jul 27, 2011

William-Kate wedding helped palace earn 42 mn pounds

William-Kate wedding helped palace earn 42 mn pounds
London: The wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton helped the British royal art collection trust earn around 42 million pounds.

The Royal Collection - which charges tourists for access to royal residences, including the Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Clarence House - saw revenues rise by 7.3 million pounds to 41.7 million pounds, the Daily Express reported.

The Royal Collection is property of the monarch, but is held in trust for her successors and the Nation. It contains over 7,000 paintings, 40,000 watercolours and drawings, and about 150,000 old prints as well as historical photographs, tapestries, furniture, ceramics and books.

The trust's annual report for the 2010-11 financial year revealed that visitor numbers were up four percent to 2.1 million.

Sales at the royal gift shops were up 17.8 percent, thanks to official wedding souvenirs, including a bone china range which raked in more than one million pounds.
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