Uslu’s letter shows that last year an additional amount of 271,000 euros was made available from the budget of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. This was due to the fact that the costs of archaeological research were higher “because during the excavation more finds than expected were made that need to be investigated,” writes the state secretary.
4 million
Work on the royal vault started last year, after years of delay. It also turned out that the operation would turn out to be considerably more expensive than foreseen. Almost 2 million euros had to be added, bringing the total government contribution to 3.6 million euros. That would now exceed 4 million. Last year, the Royal House contributed 300,000 euros extra.
The refurbishment is necessary because the crypt is almost full. The last Oranges to be interred are Queen Juliana on March 30, 2004 and Prince Bernhard on December 11 of the same year.