Right Royal Rip-Off

The Royal Family have come under criticism for pricing ordinary people out of the market, following the public opening of the Queen Mother's deathbed at Sandringham.

Queen Mother: Dying

Adult tickets for the one-year-only attraction went on sale at Midnight on New Years Eve at £22, while child admission is priced at £17.50.

Family Ticket

A family ticket (two adults and two children) costs £85, and is promoted as being 'money-saving' even though it is actually more than the combined cost of four individual tickets.

Nicky Campbell of the consumer TV show Watchdog was quick to criticise the high price of admission:

'Naturally this is something that a lot of people are going to want to visit, but it's so expensive, a lot of ordinary people won't be able to afford it.'

A Japanese Tourist

'It's yet another example of greed gone mad' he said, 'and the only people who'll be visiting the nations' favourite Grandma during her final months will be wealthy American and Japanese tourists. Is that right?'

Defended

But Sandringham grounds manager Colin Firth has defended the pricing structure.

'People have to remember that the Queen Mum, Gawd bless 'er, is 101 years old, in very poor health, and could croak at any moment.'

'You're not paying just to come in, and point and laugh and taunt the old girl by waving fishbones around. You're buying a chance to be a part of history. To be by her bedside when it actually happens.'

The Royal Family have been criticised for excessive spending in recent years, and have had to take measures such as opening properties to the public, and decomissioning the royal Yacht Marchioness.

'It's a catch-22 being a Royal in the 1990s' said new House of Windsor media spokesperson, The Queen. 'If we establish legitimate commercial interests, we get a hard time from the royalists, and if we don't, then we're constantly accused of felching money off the civil list'.