King Charles will need to consult six different organisations before he can make any changes to the 71 gas-powered lanterns in Buckingham Palace‘s courtyards.
The King is looking to refit the lanterns with new mantles to hold LED bulbs, which will make them more energy efficient.
But before any work can be done, he needs to seek the views of Historic England, The Metropolitan Police, the Gardens Trust, the Royal Parks and the National Amenity Societies.
The Sun reported that an application will need to go through planning officials at Westminster Council before any changes can be made.
Each organisation has been notified of the King’s plans and has been asked if they would like to make any ‘comments or observations’ by the end of January.
A source told The Sun: ‘How many officials does it take to change a royal lightbulb? Far too many it seems!’.
By replacing the old lightbulbs, The King is falling in line with the Government’s environmental plans, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050.
The new lights will be planned for the Forecourt and Ambassador’s Court within Buckingham Palace, the newspaper reported.
LED bulbs are significantly more energy efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs, because they last much longer, produce very little heat, and have a longer lifespan.
It comes as the Crown Estate is looking to build on its impressive green energy portfolio.
Since taking to the throne, the King refurbished two State Bentleys so they could run on bio-fuel.
This is an ‘interim measure’ as the Palace ‘begin discussions around the next generation of State vehicles being fully electrified’. A spokesman said they are yet to decide on the make of electric cars.
The Crown is also replacing two helicopters, with the King insisting on models that can run on the maximum amount of renewable fuel.
In place of 15-year-old Sikorksy S-76s the Palace is purchasing two AgustaWestland AW139s, which can use 50 per cent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
The Palace has installed a temporary SAF tank at RAF Odiham in Hampshire as the royals push to use the fuel more widely.
There have also been moves to make the estate more green with solar panels fitted to the roof of Windsor Castle as part of recent refurbishment work.
Sir Michael Stevens, Keeper of the Privy Purse, said last year: ‘Out went the leaking lead roof and in came the castle’s first solar panels – just one of a number of environmental initiatives driven by a determination to place sustainability at the heart of our operations and inspired by His Majesty’s leadership in this sphere.’
King Charles appointed a new head of sustainability in 2023 to accelerate progress in reducing the royals’ carbon footprint, resulting in a decrease of 3 per cent in natural gas and heating emissions across the Royal Estate.
But total greenhouse gas emissions did increase fractionally from the previous year, with a spokesman putting this down to ‘increased business travel emissions’.
The monarch also welcomed business leaders and climate organisations to the palace for an international sustainability reception in November 2024.
Attendees included Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband and Environment Secretary Steve Reed.
