A petition objecting to the increased funding for the British royal family over the next 10 years is gaining traction in the UK.

More than 25,000 people have signed a petition calling for the royal family to pay for the £369 million repairs to Buckingham Palace at the time of writing.

The UK government has agreed to pay Queen Elizabeth II more money - an increase of 66% in her annual sovereign grant - to cover the costs.

A statement from the palace said: "The 10-year phased refit will address the essential building services on which the palace depends.

"Miles of ageing cables, lead piping, electrical wiring and boilers will be replaced, many for the first time in 60 years.

"An independent specialist report concluded that without urgent work there is a risk of serious damage to the palace and the precious Royal Collection items it houses from, amongst other scenarios, fire and water damage."

Mark Johnson, who set up the petition, said: ‘There is a national housing crisis, the NHS is in crisis, austerity is forcing cuts in many front line services.

"Now the Royals expect us to dig deeper to refurbish Buckingham Palace. The Crown’s wealth is inestimable. This is, in a word, outrageous."

The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales are ‘completely supportive’ of the refit, officials said.

It's forecast that the work will also reduce the palace's carbon footprint by 40% in the future.