The Queen has come under fire from Greenpeace for agreeing to have Buckingham Palace floodlit at night to encourage tourism.
From this evening (24th October) until the end of the Queen’s reign, Buckingham Palace will be illuminated by 59 LED lights from sunset until 11pm.
The move was prompted by the tourism industry, who expressed its concerns that the landmark was not clearly visible to visitors in the winter months.
Electrical giant Philips was commissioned to develop the environmentally friendly, cost-efficient lighting state-of-the-art lights. However, environmental organisation, Greenpeace, claim to “disappointed” at the decision.
Greenpeace spokesman Charlie Kronick said: “These lights are going to blaze away until the end of her reign, and the way she’s going, that could be a very long time, probably long enough to see the catastrophic effects of climate change strike our country and the wider world.”
Speaking on behalf of the tourism industry, a spokeswoman for Visit London said: “We’re pleased to hear that Buckingham Palace is going to be illuminated in a thoughtful and responsible manner.”
In recent years the royal family has been keen to be seen to be green. The Queen’s posh Bentley runs on liquid petroleum gas and a scheme to provide hydroelectric power to Windsor Castle, generated via Romney Weir on the River Thames, is currently under construction.
Click here for Buckingham Palace website
Click here for Greenpeace website
