London : Queen Elizabeth II could be the single biggest beneficiary of a 700 million pounds compensation scheme to noiseproof Windsor Castle if a third runway at Britain’s Heathrow airport goes ahead.
The 89-year-old monarch — who spends most weekends at Windsor — could qualify for “millions” of pounds of compensation aimed at mitigating the effects of noise from a third runway at Heathrow, the Sunday Times reported. The 900-year-old castle, where 10 sovereigns, including Henry VIII and Charles I, are buried, is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world and covers 13 acres.
As well as being an official residence of the Queen, the castle attracts thousands of visitors each year. It is located near a potential “island of noise”, according to modelling of the impact of a third runway by the Department for Transport.
The government forecast showed that a third runway at Heathrow in London would lead to an intersection of flight paths near Windsor, leading to an extra noisy “hotspot” in the area, the paper said.
Aditi Khanna