King Charles 'turns down thermostat at Buckingham Palace swimming pool' in bid to reduce energy use
King Charles has turned down the thermostat for the swimming pool at to help reduce the royal household's energy use. A source said: 'A few people using the pool have noticed that the temperature has dropped. They have been told the King has had the heating turned down.' Last year, the utilities bill for the royal palaces, which is paid for by the taxpayer via the sovereign grant, was 3.2million. The King, a lifelong environmentalist, is known to be keen to achieve net zero emissions in the royal household before the Government's target date of 2050. He has already installed solar panels on the roof at his London home, Clarence House, and at Highgrove, his country residence in Gloucestershire. A source who knows the King well told told the that Charles probably thinks the pool, which senior members of the royal household are permitted to use, 'is environmentally unsound, because the water has chemicals and has to be heated. 'It doesn't fit with his exercise regime or his world view.' The pool at Buckingham Palace was commissioned by George VI in 1938, for Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. The King learnt to swim there, as did his siblings. Diana, Princess of Wales also used the pool regularly, and Princes William and Harry are thought to have learnt to swim there. Senior members of the royal household are permitted to use the pool but must check in advance if a member of the royal family is having a dip to avoid a clash.