Queen to rent out Holyrood Palace property

The Queen is set to join the growing numbers of people renting out their spare rooms for a bit of extra cash, according to reports.

Abbey Strand is set to become short-term holiday lets. Picture: Contributed

The Abbey Strand buildings at Holyrood Palace will be turned into short-term lets - provided planning permission gets the green light.

Palace officials are hopeful that the holiday homes will bring in enough money to help maintain other Royal properties.

Provided the plans get the go-ahead, any money made from letting the historic property will go into the Royal Collection Trust, a department set up to manage the Queen’s residences.

The trust receives no public funding, and is a registered charity - and any money raised goes steraight back into the upkeep of buildings.

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A spokesperson for the Royal Collection Trust told the Daily Record: “The Abbey Strand buildings will be restored to create a learning centre within them.

“This has presented an opportunity to develop the remaining spaces as short-term holiday lets.”

Abbey Strand has been home to a great many characters since the late 15th century.

Monks, royal courtiers, brewers and the elderly are all known to have sheltered there over the years.

It has also been used as a weapons store, a sanctuary for debtors and at one point was home to a number of taverns as well as a brothel, named Lucky Spence’s House.

As the area changed through history, the purpose of Abbey Strand also shifted. In the early 1800s, the apartments were sub-divided and another floor was added, providing a home for as many as 25 families.

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