Royal Family: is 56p a year a bargain for our monarchy?
Royals 'buck trend for austerity' with £14k flight to Scotland and £4.5m refurb for Kate and Wills
The cost of the monarchy to the taxpayer has risen from £33.3m to £35.7m in the last tax year.
The increase – described by the palace as nearly six per cent in real terms – was mainly due to a dramatic rise in spending on the upkeep of its properties. Around £800,000 was needed to remove asbestos in the basement of Buckingham Palace and £900,000 to fix a leaking roof at the Windsor Castle's Royal Library.
The biggest single refurbishment project has been at Kensington Palace, where taxpayers have shelled out £4.5m for work on Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's apartment. According to the palace, this was neither "lavish" nor "opulent" but just like "an ordinary family home".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The palace claims these are buildings where essential works have not been carried out for more than half a century and where there is now clear evidence of deterioration, says BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell.
While the cost of royal travel actually fell by £300,000 on the previous year, it still cost taxpayers £4.2m. This does not include the cost of security for the royal family, which has never been disclosed.
Prince Andrew spent £14,692 on a charter flight from Farnborough to Scotland so he could watch the Open Championship at Muirfield and visit the Royal Highland Fusiliers, while Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles spent £434,000 on a visit to India.
Royal aides insist the cost amounts to 56p for each person in the country and represents "value for money".
The Independent notes that the royal household "bucked the trend for austerity", increasing its taxpayer costs by more than double the rate of inflation. Graham Smith, chief executive of Republic, a campaign group for a democratic alternative to the monarchy, told the newspaper "an increase of this magnitude when everybody is dealing with cuts is frankly beyond belief".
The Daily Express, however, thinks the cost is "exceptionally good value". It says the royals bring the British people together, attract huge numbers of tourists and make "exceptional" ambassadors. "Such things are priceless," it says. "To get them for 56p a year is a bargain."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
A history of student protest at Columbia University
The Explainer Anti-Israel demonstrations at NYC's Ivy League university echo protests against Vietnam War and South African apartheid
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Trump is ruled in contempt'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Hainault sword attack: police hunt for motive
Speed Read Mental health is key line of inquiry, as detectives prepare to interview suspect
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Duchess of Gloucester: the hard-working royal you've never heard of
Under The Radar Outer royal 'never expected' to do duties but has stepped up to the plate
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
'Manipulated' photo of UK's Princess Kate spiked
speed read The first official image of Kate Middleton since January has been retracted
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Modern royal scandals from around the world
The Explainer From Spain to the UAE, royal families have often been besieged by negative events
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
The Regency Acts: what happens if King Charles can't perform his duties
The Explainer Monarch's responsibilities could be carried out by a regent or the counsellors of state
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
King Charles diagnosed with cancer
Speed Read Monarch 'remains wholly positive about his treatment', during which senior royals are expected to stand in for him
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Princess of Wales to remain in hospital for two weeks as King prepares for prostate treatment
Speed Read The timing of the two royal medical announcements was said to be an 'unavoidable coincidence'
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary: a guide to Denmark's next king and queen
Why everyone's talking about Queen Margrethe II is stepping down after 52 years on Denmark's throne
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
King laughs about his 'sausage fingers' in new documentary
Speed Read Charles's ample digits have long attracted 'attention and concern' but he is often the 'first to poke fun'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published