Grace and favour

Grace and favour

A grace and favour home is a residential property owned by a monarch by virtue of their position as Head of State and leased rent-free to persons as part of an employment package or in gratitude for past services rendered.

In the United Kingdom, these homes are owned by The Crown and, in modern times, are often within the gift of the Prime Minister. Most of these properties are taxed as a 'benefit in kind', although this status does not apply to 10 Downing Street or any home granted for security purposes, such as the residence of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5036540.stm BBC NEWS | Politics | What are grace-and-favour homes?] ] They are at times granted to senior politicians: for example, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott resided in a grace-and-favour home in Dorneywood until the end of May 2006. [ [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/labour/story/0,,1768939,00.html Plotters move to oust Blair | Special Reports | Guardian Unlimited Politics ] ] [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5035506.stm BBC NEWS | Politics | Critics welcome Dorneywood move ] ]

Examples

Examples of British 'grace and favour' homes include [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5036540.stm BBC NEWS | Politics | What are grace-and-favour homes? ] ] :

* 10 Downing Street, London - Official residence of the First Lord of the Treasury
* Chequers, Buckinghamshire - The Prime Minister's official country retreat
* Dorneywood, Buckinghamshire - Often used as a residence for the Deputy Prime Minister, but previously occupied by a number of cabinet ministers.
* Admiralty House, London - Contains three apartments, often given to senior cabinet ministers.
* Chevening, Kent - Often used by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
* 1 Carlton Gardens, London - Often used as the official residence of the Foreign Secretary.
* Palace of Westminster, London - The Houses of Parliament themselves contain a number of official apartments, typically occupied by the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Lord Chancellor.
* Hillsborough Castle, County Down - The residence of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when in Northern Ireland.

References


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • grace and favour — UK US adjective only before noun british a grace and favour house, flat etc has been given to someone to live in without payment by a king, queen, or government Thesaurus: types of homehyponym * * * ˌgrace and ˈfavour 7 [grace and favour] …   Useful english dictionary

  • grace-and-favour — /ˈgreɪs ən ˌfeɪvə/ (say grays uhn .fayvuh) adjective British granted by the sovereign as a mark of gratitude: *her grace and favour apartment at the palace. –west australian, 1992. Also, grace and favor …  

  • grace and favour — UK / US adjective [only before noun] British a grace and favour house, flat etc has been given to someone to live in without payment by a king, queen, or government …   English dictionary

  • Grace and Favour residence — [Grace and Favour residence] noun a house or flat/apartment owned by the British king or queen, in which people are invited to live without paying any rent. Among the best known are the ones in ↑Kensington Palace and ↑Windsor Castle …   Useful english dictionary

  • grace-and-favour — grace and faˈvour adjective (of a residence) belonging to the British sovereign and granted rent free to a person of importance (also with caps) • • • Main Entry: ↑grace …   Useful english dictionary

  • grace and favour — noun Owned by the sovereign or government and granted free of rent to a person as an expression of gratitude or obligation …   Wiktionary

  • Grace and Favour residence — n a house or flat/apartment owned by the British king or queen, in which people are invited to live without paying any rent. Among the best known are the ones in Kensington Palace and Windsor Castle. * * * …   Universalium

  • grace and favour — adjective Brit. denoting accommodation occupied by permission of a sovereign or government …   English new terms dictionary

  • grace-and-fa|vour — «GRAYS uhn FAY vuhr», adjective. British. 1. (of a house, pension, etc.) granted by the Crown, free of rent, rates, etc., to retired civil servants and the like. 2. of or having to do with a grace and favour house, pension, etc.: »grace and… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Grace & Favour — infobox television show name = Grace Favour Show name 2 = Are You Being Served? Again! format = Sitcom runtime = 30 minutes creator = Jeremy Lloyd David Croft writer = Jeremy Lloyd David Croft producer = Mike Stephens director = Mike Stephens… …   Wikipedia

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