I Want to Break Free

Her Majesty's Had Enough of the Rat Race

It’s a fairly standard process for Londoners – you grow up at the edge of town, move to a central London residence to enjoy the thrills of the big city, and then drift back out to the calm of a leafy suburb as you get older. Most of us start with a split-level flat, or a terraced house in Zone 2, rather than a 400-room palace with the postcode SW1 1AA, but all the same, I think Her Majesty’s decision to move her official residence to Windsor on her 80th birthday speaks volumes for her credentials as a true Londoner. It’s certainly a mirror for what my parents and most of my friends' parents did. The kids have grown up, she can’t get about quite as well as she used to, and it’s time to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

The question remains, however, of what to do with Buckingham Palace now that Liz has gone. The usual option of renting out a couple of rooms at exorbitant rates to Australian barmen or Japanese language students wouldn’t go down too well with Phillip – and they probably don’t really need the money.

Most underpopulated areas of London are now scheduled to be demolished to build velodromes or clay pigeon ranges in advance of the 2012 extravaganza, but I have a feeling gutting Buck House to turn it into beach volleyball courts might not appeal to English Heritage. I’m sure that the government will be itching to turn it into a Royalty-themed super-casino, but this may create the same kind of issue.

So perhaps the best choice is to let Liz keep it going as a place to stop off when she has to pop down to London for a bit of shopping, or the opening of parliament. It’s the ideal solution, and it means she won’t have to impose on the kids just when they all seem to have grown up and settled down. Finally.

So, Many Happy Returns, Your Majesty, and it’s good to know that you’re really just one of us, even if you do things on a rather grander scale.

A Right Royal Rave

Prince Charles and sons, princes William and Harry, are to make a rare appearance at a free pop concert held at the Tower of London. The royal crew will host the open-air event marking the 30th anniversary of the Prince's Trust.

Greasy Spoons All Washed Up

According to a survey released this month, London’s traditional cafes are on the decrease. Since 2000 the number of greasy spoons in the capital has dropped by over 40% per cent in favour of modern, eating emporiums such as Starbucks.

London’s Millionaire Mansion Boom

London boasts over 30,000 homes worth £1 million or more. Figures released this month show a huge increase in the value of homes in just 10 years. In 1995 there were only 3589 such properties in the capital. Today the figure stands at 30,104 – the majority of which are located in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

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