Dutch royal palace renovation bill almost doubles to €60m
Renovating the royal family’s Huis ten Bosch palace is set to cost almost €60m, well over the original estimate of €35m, according to broadcaster RTL news.
RTL bases its claims on sources close to the cabinet.
King Willem-Alexander and his family will eventually move to the palace when the work has been completed in 2018. It is the first time substantial work has been carried out on the building since 1981.
When the figure was first announced last year, prime minister Mark Rutte said he understood €35m is a lot of money but that it is a ‘normal’ price for renovating a 17th century villa.
MPs are now demanding the government explain the overspend. ‘€35m was ridiculous and this is doubly ridiculous,’ Socialist MP Ronald van Raak told news agency ANP.
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