If you’re looking for a last-minute Christmas present and have about £3m to spare, a private 12-seat box at the Royal Albert Hall is available, entitling its owners to attend concerts and events at the world-famous London venue for the next 843 years.
The marketing of Grand Tier box 14 comes amid controversy over the RAH’s plans to sell dozens of extra seats to investors. Some “seat holders” have been disposing of unwanted seats for events at highly inflated prices through third-party ticket sites such as Viagogo.
A bill going through parliament would grant the hall’s governing body the power to sell an extra 72 seats to investors.
The box for sale in question is separate from the plans that MPs and peers are debating. It is owned by Brendan Parsons, the seventh Earl of Rosse, and his wife, Alison, the Countess of Rosse, who live at Birr Castle in County Offaly, Ireland. The box has been in the family for several generations.
Its 12 seats are among 1,269 in the hall that are owned by 319 people, originally on 999-year leases. There are 843 years remaining on the Rosse lease.
The RAH, which opened in 1871, was funded from the outset in part by people who were allocated seats in return for investment. Today’s seat holders include companies, charities and individuals, some of whom have family ownership going back to the 19th century.
The sales brochure for the box says it is a “unique opportunity to purchase a magnificent 12-seat Grand Tier box in the world’s most prestigious concert hall. Offering the very best views of the main stage … you will be able to entertain your guests in style.”
According to Martin Bikhit of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, which is marketing the box with a guide price of £3m, the sale is a rare opportunity for a wealthy arts lover. “These luxurious situations … have historically been snapped up by the lucky few or passed down through generations,” he told the Times.
Ed Sheeran is among those who have objected to the growing practice of seat holders selling their unwanted tickets at inflated prices rather than return them to the RAH box office to be sold at face value.
The singer is “vehemently opposed” to the practice, his aides have said, and he has objected to the RAH plans to allocate dozens more seats to private ownership.
In a debate on the bill in the House of Lords in October, Lord Hodgson said: “If you wish to go to hear Ed Sheeran on Sunday 19 November, you have a ticket with a face value of £200. I have here a screenshot from Viagogo offering that ticket for £5,899 to £6,000 for a £200 ticket.
“Mr Sheeran’s fans are being squeezed out of the hall because they cannot afford to pay £6,000 a pop. This is an extreme example, but a £100 ticket for the Last Night of the Proms was selling for £1,218, so this has clearly become a very profitable enterprise.”
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The RAH, which is a charity, has said the sale of additional seats would “support the hall’s efforts to rebuild its financial position post-pandemic, to enhance its Grade I-listed building and to continue its engagement work, which reaches over 100,000 people of all ages and backgrounds each year”.
The venue hosts about 400 events a year, from the Proms to pop concerts, and has 5,272 seats in total.
On top of about £3m required to secure Grand Tier box 14, the successful buyer will be liable for an annual contribution of £13,795 towards the RAH’s upkeep.
Among those who have made inquiries about the sale are buyers in Hong Kong, the Middle East and eastern Europe.