There's the predictable outrage over the amount spent on travel by the likes of Prince Charles (two overseas trips costing about £700,000 each and an astonishing £27,000 for taking the Royal train to Yorkshire) and 'Air Miles' Prince Andrew. But perhaps the most fuss over the latest Royal accounts has been caused by the £300,000 cost of doing up an apartment in Kensington Palace for Andrew's daughter Princess Beatrice. Beatrice, whose recent gap year cost a fortune in the cost of protection officers, is widely regarded as being a waste of money and perhaps a waste of space. Following in the Andrew-Fergie family tradition really. But do the Royals, specifically the Queen, need all these residences? In London alone there's Buckingham Palace, St James's Palace (Prince Charles occasionally occupies the Clarence House bit and Harry takes his girlfriends back there) and Kensington Palace, where Diana used to live. Outside there's Windsor Castle, which does pull in the tourists, Sandringham in Norfolk and a whole gaggle in Scotland including three residences on the Balmoral estate (including another palace) and Birkhall, where the Queen Mother used to stay in the summer hols. Most of these are for the use of the Royal Family alone with only Windsor Castle allowing public visits all year. Among other things, there's loads of art stashed away, which we can't see most of the time either. So when the Palace says it needs millions to refurbish these places we might just ask for proper access in return. Or they might as well be sold off as hotels.