Former palace worker's widow considers legal action over asbestos-related death

The family of a former Buckingham Palace maintenance worker said it may sue for compensation after he died of an asbestos-related illness.

John Costello, who worked for the Royal Household for 22 years before his retirement, developed malignant mesothelioma in 1999. Despite six courses of chemotherapy, Mr Costello died at home two months ago at the age of 58.

Yesterday the Westminster coroner, Dr Paul Knapman, in recording a verdict of death from the industrial disease of malignant mesothelioma, said: "We do have, it seems, a story where he has died from exposure to asbestos. For in about 1970 he started working at Buckingham Palace and the evidence of [his daughter] Marie Beckham is that at the time the boilers and pipes might have been fitted with asbestos and he may well have dealt with these.

"It seems likely he would have contracted this while working at Buckingham Palace."

Mrs Beckham, 35, said later that the family was considering seeking compensation and had sought advice from the TGWU union. She said: "He was never given any protective clothing. He wasn't told to protect himself either. He was so young. But he wasn't a bitter person."

His widow, Mary, said: "He wasn't aware of it until the 1980s when I think Buckingham Palace discovered the situation and stripped it out. They did not say anything about monitoring health issues."

The inquest was told Mr Costello, from Kildalkey in Co Meath, began work as a fitter in the palace's maintenance department in 1970. His responsibilities included the central heating systems. "When he was working with these boilers and pipes it is likely he would have come into contact with asbestos," Dr Knapman said.

The worker, who lived in Westminster, took voluntary redundancy in 1993 and became a caretaker at a school in Pimlico, London. However, he developed breathing problems in 1999. Doctors at the Brompton Hospital diagnosed malignant mesothelioma and told him the outlook was "very bleak".

Dr Knapman said: "My findings are not necessarily binding in terms of compensation and I think it is important the family should realise this."

A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said yesterday: "The Royal household is very sad to learn of Mr Costello's death." However, she said that the household had not assumed responsibility for property services until April 1991. "Mr Costello worked for the Property Services Agency. Any questions about contamination before April 1991 are for the Department of the Environment."