QUEEN TRIED TO GET UK POVERTY FUND TO HEAT PALACE

REPORT: QUEEN ELIZABETH TRIED TO
USE PUBLIC AID FUND TO HEAT HER PALACE

LONDON (AP) - Even a monarch needs a little help from time to time - especially when the cost of heating those drafty old palaces spirals past $1.5 million a year. But a request for assistance from a government fund that provides subsidized heating to low-income Britons has caused a spot of bother for Queen Elizabeth II, long one of the world’s wealthiest women. Her Majesty’s application in 2004 was politely turned down by the government - in part because of fear of adverse publicity - and quietly forgotten until The Independent newspaper published the correspondence Friday after obtaining it via a Freedom of Information request. The documents quote an unidentified functionary as gently reminding the royal household that the program was meant for people in need, not the upper crust, and he noted the potential public relations disaster. “I also feel a bit uneasy about the probable adverse press coverage if the Palace were given a grant at the expense of, say, a hospital,” the official said.

Royal officials explored the possibility of getting money under the program as a way to reduce the monarchy’s cost to taxpayers by making the palace more energy efficient. The queen’s finances have been controversial in the past, with occasional debates about whether Britain’s head of state costs taxpayers too much. The 84-year-old monarch has royal residences across Britain, including Balmoral Castle in Scotland and Sandringham House in eastern England. Other residences, such as the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh and St. James’s Palace in London, are used as offices or for functions. She has many other assets, including an extensive art collection and a fleet of the world’s finest automobiles at her beck and call, although the royal yacht has been sold.


Buckingham Palace has been in royal hands since King George III bought it in 1761 and has been the official London residence of Britain's monarchs since 1837. Insulation is poor and the heating system needs replacement, as do many of the windows, which lack proper glazing. As we can see, in this material world everybody is strapped for cash and may not know how to pay their bills. Even the Queen of England!

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

According to Vedic philosophy, one should be satisfied with one’s allotted possessions and should not covet the property of others. Also, one is taught to live a simple life and to be as self-sufficient as possible, so that one can spend the remainder of his or her time lovingly serving God. For proper government, the Vedas tell us that a king should indeed treat his citizens as his dependents and is responsible for their happiness. However, during the Vedic times, kings were very pious and strictly adhering to the council of their royal priests, or brahmanas. The king’s main duty was to make sure that their citizens would reach the ultimate spiritual goal of life and break out of the cycle of birth and death. Contrast that with today’s style of democratic government, and you will see that today’s leaders aren’t versed in any type of spiritual understanding, nor do they look for advice from brahamanas. Though many are well intentioned, most politicians are living on the material platform of life, with the belief that sense gratification is the highest achievement.

Krishna’s Mercy - Jai Shri Krishna :
“Depend on Krishna” - Posted on Feb 18, 2009
http://www.krishnasmercy.org/dotnetnuke/
http://www.krishnasmercy.org/dotnetnuke/News/Blog/tabid/57/EntryId/12/Depend-on-Krishna.aspx