The 69p Queen: New figures show royals cost the public more than ever before
The annual cost of the Queen is now 69p per person, as figures show that royal spending rose 13 percent in 2017/2018. Taxpayers’ funding has also increased by 40 percent for Prince William, Harry and Kate.
New data from the royal accounts reveal that the public funds used by the Queen for official spending and royal duties jumped from £41.9 million ($54.8 million) to £47.4 million ($62 million) last year.
The main reason for the 13-percent increase in costs borne by the taxpayer is understood to be the refurbishment of Buckingham Palace. Over £4 million ($5.2 million) was spent on the initial phase of improvements at the palace, which included the removal of old wiring.
The Queen's official pay-packet is derived from public funds in exchange for revenue from the Crown Estate. The “core” of the sovereign grant is usually based on 15 percent of the net surplus of the Crown Estate, but this year the grant is based on 25 percent of the surplus in order to meet the costs of refurbishing the palace.
Overall, the total Sovereign Grant was £76.1 million ($99.6 million). Of this amount, £28.7 million ($37.6 million) was placed in reserves, intended to pay for the palace renovation.
Royal travel has also cost the public an eyewatering sum – £4.7 million ($6.2 million) – with Prince Charles's tour of India and the Far East in November 2017 coming in as the most expensive. The tour cost a staggering £362,149 ($473,987), and he has also used royal train twice as often as the Queen, at a cost of around £20,000 ($26,180) per trip.
Figures released by the Prince of Wales' private office, Clarence House, show that spending has also increased for his children and their wives. In total, the bill footed by the taxpayer for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex went from £3.5 million ($4.6 million) to £5 million ($6.5 million). A palace spokesman declined to comment on how much of the increase was attributable to Meghan Markle.
Separate figures show the Crown Estate provided £329.4 million ($431.2 million) to the Treasury, a like-for-like increase of around 4 percent compared with last year's figures for England only.
Keeper of the Privy Purse Sir Michael Stevens, who oversees the royal family’s finances, told the BBC that "there are three generations of the royal family at work together in support of the Queen.”
"Each generation brings its own style and personality,” he said. “What everyone shares is a desire for the monarchy to reflect and serve all parts of our country and the wider Commonwealth.
"The [palace renovation] program addresses the urgent need to overhaul the palace's essential services – some of which have not been updated since the 1950s. These important works will help avert the very real danger of a catastrophic building failure such as a flood or fire."
Anti-royalist campaigners lashed out at the new data, saying that the Queen costs the taxpayer dearly.
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"The big lie from royalists is the idea the monarchy is paid for by the Crown Estate - which is simply untrue,” Republic spokesman Graham Smith said.
“Or that the Queen personally owns the Crown Estate and sacrifices her own income, which is also nonsense. The reality is that the monarchy costs the British taxpayer dear, more than £345m a year. That's a symptom of a secretive and unaccountable institution."
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