LONDON, July 12 (UPI) -- The British royal family could receive millions of pounds as part of a government plan to cut out some of the noise that will come from a third runway planned for Heathrow Airport in the near future.
The British government has already agreed to pay out nearly $1.1 million toward a compensation plan to provide nearby residents with soundproofing -- hopefully, they say, so the sound of planes that soar overhead isn't too bothersome.
As residents of nearby Windsor Castle, officials say the Royal Family home might be among 160,000 households in the area surrounding the airport that would need upgrades to absorb the noise.
"Windsor is comparable to parliament, potentially bigger, and if they do need to insulate the Windsor's against noise it will cost a fortune -- potentially millions," an official told The Sunday Times. "They will end up spending more on compensation to the Queen than they spent in the past 10 years on noise compensation. Planes can fly pretty low over Windsor."
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Airport officials recently approved a third runway at Heathrow but Prime Minister David Cameron has yet to sign off on it.
The plan to offset the noise -- which would pay for double glazing, insulation and acoustic boarding -- will be provided for residents who live near the airport and those under flight paths, Britain's Telegraph reported Sunday.
Windsor Castle, officials say, sits in a veritable "island of noise" and would have to be extensively soundproofed -- and cheap it would not be. It is nearly a thousand years old, it houses numerous historic artifacts, and has about a thousand rooms.
A Windsor representative said the Royal Family was not able to view the airport expansion plans, and has no official comment yet regarding the matter, the Telegraph report said.
"The royal household would not speculate on any matter relating to a proposed third runway before any formal decision has been taken by those responsible for this," the representative said.
Officials approved the third runway to address a capacity crisis at Heathrow, one of the busiest airports in the world.
