UK NEWS
BARGAIN PRICES AT BALMORAL
SALE SPREE: Queen Elizabeth
By Stephen Wilkie
THE Queen has followed doomed High Street giants Woolworths and launched her own cut-price sale.
Tourists visiting Her Maj-esty’s holiday home in the Highlands found up to 50 per cent had been slashed from the price of all souvenirs.
The gates at Balmoral Castle on Royal Deeside were opened to the public for one day to allow shoppers to snap-up a festive bargain.
The royal sale saw hundreds bag goods with at least 20 per cent off all items and others for sale at half-price.
At least 300 people took advantage of the offer, with estate staff serving them tea and Christmas pies.
Managers are trying to boost Balmoral coffers due to the credit crunch and have recently started a heraldry business, selling printed genealogy scrolls for £17.99.
Saturday’s souvenir sale did brisk business for the Queen, and tourists left the castle carrying official purple Balmoral Gift Shop plastic bags filled with purchases.
An estate insider said: “The shop has never sold goods half-price, it was like the Woolworths’ closing down sale.
“Business was good although we were helped by rain that kept people inside, buying bargains.”
The six-hour sale saw £6 knocked off a bottle of limited edition £30 blue-label Balmoral Whisky.
A £7 crystal castle ornament was on offer at just £3.50, and a corgi tea towel was half-price at 60p.
Prince Charles’s glossy landscape painting book was a snip at just £10. The sale came just days after ministers refused to give the Queen more funding to repair her crumbling palaces.
Whitehall has imposed a three-year spending freeze on the 82-year-old monarch, despite a huge increase in Government spending in a bid to stimulate the economy.
A royal spokeswoman said: “Balmoral Castle and Estate are privately owned and the souvenir shop is also a private concern.
“The estate welcomes visitors throughout the year and unlike Buckingham Palace and Holyrood Palace the gift shop is owned by the estate and is a private business.
“Hopefully those who went along got some nice gifts.”
