Unions threaten to cut King and Queen off from Christmas fuel supplies

Union bosses are threatening to deprive the King and the Royal family of fuel supplies over Christmas and New Year as heating oil delivery drivers go on strike.The walkout will affect 400 tanker drivers at Certas Energy, a supplier to the Sandringham estate, where the Royal family traditionally spends two weeks or more over the festive season.The Unite union claimed the King and Queen will face a “cold Christmas” because of the strikes, with Sandringham reliant on Certas for oil deliveries.Drivers plan to walk out for 15 days between Dec 22 and Jan 25 in a dispute over pay.The King and Queen are expected to depart for Sandringham, about eight miles north of King’s Lynn in Norfolk, at the weekend and to be joined for Christmas by more than 40 other members of the Royal family.The Prince and Princess of Wales will stay at Anmer Hall, which sits within the estate – as does St Mary Magdalene Church, which the Royal family attends on Christmas Day.The grounds are also home to Marsh Farm, where Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is expected to live when he leaves Windsor.Queen Elizabeth II spent 32 consecutive Christmases at Sandringham before the tradition was interrupted by Covid.As well as disrupting supplies to Sandringham, the drivers’ strike will also affect schools, Royal Mail refuelling sites, military establishments, hundreds of Gulf Oil petrol stations and the supply of lubricants to Shell, the union said.Sharon Graham, the Unite general secretary, said: “Certas drivers don’t expect to be treated like royalty but they do expect a fair pay rise from their employer.”The union said Certas had proposed a 2pc pay increase, which amounts to a real-terms cut with inflation currently running at 4.3pc.It said the strike could still be averted if the firm were to make an offer “acceptable to members” and more in line with the increasing cost of living.However, a shortage of fuel at Sandringham may be eased by a biomass boiler installed by Prince Phillip before his death and powered by woodchips from trees on the 20,000 acre estate.The King also commissioned a solar farm for the estate, which is believed to have been completed in the summer, though its 2,000 panels will require winter sunshine to function.Sandringham and Certas – which is based in Warrington, Cheshire, but delivers fuel from refineries across the UK – were contacted for comment.