Buckingham Palace may become 'party pad' for Princes William and Harry

London, May 25 : The home to the Queen, Buckingham Palace is set to become a massive party pad for fun-loving Princes William and Harry.

The Queen has virtually abandoned it as her home and now spends most of her time at Windsor Castle.

Now, sources are reckoning the possibility of mothballing the palace as a sovereign's royal residence and turning it over to the younger royals.

But the idea has appalled some crusty courtiers, who fear the hard-partying brothers are not yet ready to take charge of such an important piece of British tradition.

"It would be horrific - like one giant nightclub. It could do enormous damage to the image of the monarchy," The Daily Star quoted the source, as saying.

Wills and Harry are struggling to find places to live in London and are determined not to continue staying with dad Charles in Clarence House.

A palace source said: "One of the solutions being looked at is Buckingham Palace which certainly has the space for them."

And the source explained: "Buckingham Palace has never been one of the Queen's favourite homes. It's very much the flat above the shop as far as she's concerned."

Royal officials have always denied that the Queen has any intention of moving out. But aides hope that she might see handing it on to the next generation over the next two years as an acceptable compromise.

One source said: "She doesn't want to see it turned into a museum in her lifetime. There has to be a focus in the capital for the monarchy."

ANI