NewsRoyalsBuckingham PalaceAlthough King Charles and Queen Camilla won't live at Buckingham Palace after its £397 million refurb, the landmark will remain the operational centre of "monarchy HQ"22:00, 25 Jun 2026If £397 million of public money has been spent renovating Buckingham Palace, in which the King will now not live, the public is entitled to ask what exactly we are getting for it? Some will call it an outrage. Others will call it consolidation. Since taking the throne, Charles has moved to slim down the Royal Family and make better use of its assets, reflecting growing public concern over cost. So staying at Clarence House rather than reclaiming Buckingham Palace as a full-time home fits that approach. A smaller monarchy means fewer grand residences run at public expense. Equally, critics cannot demand the institution shrink, then call it a scandal when it does. But Buckingham Palace still has to earn its keep. A taxpayer-funded palace cannot sit behind gilded gates purely as a backdrop for state occasions and souvenir tea towels. Open it up. Let more people in. Send the ticket money to the Treasury. The monarchy's future won't rest on historic sentiment. It will rest on proving its worth.Listen to the Iceland boss — tackle the cost of living crisisWhile Westminster is obsessed with leadership plots. Britain is obsessed with its household bills. Richard Walker knows which one matters. The Iceland boss, now the government's cost-of-living tsar, says shoppers in his stores couldn't care less about who leads the party. They want to know why prices are still crushing them, and whether anyone in power has noticed. His warning should land hard. A fresh wave of price hikes is coming this Autumn, with the war in Iran still rippling through energy and food costs, peace deal or not. Lord Walker is right. This is no time to duck decisions or kick the can down the road. Politicians chasing headlines should remember who's paying the real price.Here's tour you, JacobJacob Allmendinger has spent his £10,000 house deposit on the best investment of all: taking his grandad Geoff to the World Cup. Using five years of hard-earned savings for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to see the beautiful game is a beautiful gesture. Houses can wait. Moments like this cannot.Article continues belowVoice of the MirrorThe leading comment of the Daily Mirror and the Sunday Mirror.Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌Richard WalkerThe TreasuryBuckingham PalaceRoyal Family