- Buckingham Palace workers uncovered a Victorian-era newspaper clipping
- During £370m renovations they also found cigarette packets under floorboards
- Renovations began in April 2017 and will continue right up until 2027
By Dianne Apen-sadler For Mailonline
Published: 08:08 EST, 19 January 2018 | Updated: 08:44 EST, 19 January 2018
Workers completing the £370million renovation project on Buckingham Palace have uncovered cigarette packets and a newspaper clipping from nearly 130 years ago.
The clipping, published in the Evening Standard newspaper during the reign of Queen Victoria, was found under the floorboards.
The three cigarette packets came from the popular 19th and 20th century brands Player's Navy Cut, Woodbine, and Piccadilly cigarettes.
The objects were found during the ambitious renovation project which will see ten miles of water pipes, 6,500 plug sockets, 500 pieces of sanitary ware (toilet, basins and the like) and 20 miles of skirting board replaced.
Experts previously warned there was ‘serious risk’ of fire and water damage to the palace and the priceless works of art it contains due to palace’s perilous state of repair.
Workers completing the £370million renovations on Buckingham Palace uncovered this newspaper clipping from nearly 130 years ago
The clipping, from the Evening Standard, was originally published in 1889 during the Victorian era
The last time the iconic palace was properly refurbished was during the 1950s after it was damaged during bombing in the Second World War.
Posting to social media, the Royal Family Twitter account said: 'The building work uncovered pieces of history hidden beneath the floorboards at Buckingham Palace including this clipping from the Evening Standard newspaper, published in 1889.'
It added: 'Also unearthed was a trio of vintage cigarettes packets.'
Costs will total £369million and will be paid for by taxpayers via the Sovereign Grant, the annual fee paid by the Government to the monarch which in 2016 came to £42million.
The work, which began in April last year, is due to be completed in 2027.
The Royal Family Twitter account said: 'The building work uncovered pieces of history hidden beneath the floorboards at Buckingham Palace'
The three cigarette packets, from the popular 19th and 20th century brands Player's Navy Cut, Woodbine, and Piccadilly, were found during a renovation project which includes rewiring the palace
The Queen will not have to move out while the work is completed, but she is likely to have to change bedrooms at some point.
Dozens of her staff will be put up in Portacabins on the palace lawn while work is completed.
Renovation work hopes to bring the palace up to scratch and ensure that it is fit for purpose for the next 50 years.
The Sovereign Grant, which comes from profits made on the Crown Estate, will be hiked up during renovation period to cover the costs.
The Queen currently gets 15 per cent of the profits from the Crown Estate, with the rest given back to the Government, but this will increase to 25 per cent.
The £369million renovations will be paid for by an increase to the Sovereign Grant, which in 2016 came to £42million
The project will see much of the palace's heating system, pictured, replaced with new pipes and boilers to maintain the fabric of the building for another 50 years
None of the iconic palace's wiring, plumbing and heating have been updated since they were installed in the 1950s. Some of the valves, pictured, are so old they cannot be operated
Previously the Master of The Queen's Household Tony Johnstone-Burt said: 'We take the responsibility that comes with receiving these public funds extremely seriously indeed.
'Equally, we are convinced that, by making this investment in Buckingham Palace now, we can avert a much more costly and potentially catastrophic building failure in the years to come.’
It is estimated that the benefits of the upgrade, including longer summer opening hours, more private tours and savings due to the improvements, could be around £3.4 million each year.
The Queen spends around a third of the year hosting garden parties, receptions, investitures and other events at her official home.
It is estimated that the benefits of the upgrade, including longer summer opening hours, more private tours and savings due to the improvements, could be around £3.4 million each year
Previously the Master of The Queen's Household Tony Johnstone-Burt said: 'We take the responsibility that comes with receiving these public funds extremely seriously indeed'
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