King Charles and the Sovereign Grant: how UK taxpayers fund the monarchy

Royals received £86.3m from government last year – and they are in line for a 50% increase

King Charles and Queen Camilla
The coronation of King Charles, for example, cost taxpayers £72 million, the government revealed last November
(Image credit: Samir Hussein / WireImage / Getty Images)

As the drama around Labour's attempted welfare cuts continues to shake the Palace of Westminster, another palace down the road is faring far better.

The royal family received £86.3 million in government funding in the 2024/25 financial year, according to the annual accounts statement released by the Royal Household on Monday. And that will rise to £132 million next year after a big jump in the profits made by the Crown Estate.

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Harriet Marsden is a writer for The Week, mostly covering UK and global news and politics. Before joining the site, she was a freelance journalist for seven years, specialising in social affairs, gender equality and culture. She worked for The Guardian, The Times and The Independent, and regularly contributed articles to The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The New Statesman, Tortoise Media and Metro, as well as appearing on BBC Radio London, Times Radio and “Woman’s Hour”. She has a master’s in international journalism from City University, London, and was awarded the "journalist-at-large" fellowship by the Local Trust charity in 2021.