Truemors
is reporting from
Member
NP Rank:
NP Rank:
Price of Queen rising
Share: 
by julianw | June 27, 2008 at 09:04 am
263 views | 5 Recommendations | 10 comments
Videos
Photos
Buckingham Palace released financial statements today, and one stat was more awesome/ worrying/made-for-the-strange-channel than any other: the Queen and the royal family last year cost taxpayers 66p, up 4p from 2007.
The accounts showed the cost of keeping the monarchy in the year to March 31 rose by £2m to £40m. Officials said this was 3.1% lower in real terms than in 2001.The per person expenditure each year was said to be just under the cost of two pints of milk or an iPod download.
The rise was driven by increases in spending on official travel along with the Queen's Civil List which covers the cost of the monarch's official duties as head of state.
What is NowPublic?
NowPublic lets people work together to cover news events around the world.
Crowd Power
Actual News Geezer
La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Nayarit, Mexico
michelle.sundvick
Langley, Canada
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (10)
at 10:25 on June 27th, 2008
julianw, I like this story.
at 10:31 on June 27th, 2008
The following comes from Republic.org.uk (an organisation for an elected state) today (I thought they would go wild!):-
Republic has today repeated its demand for reforms to royal spending after the annual report from Buckingham Palace showed an inflation-busting 6.5 percent jump in costs.
The £40m total figure included an average cost of £46,000 per train journey, £138,000 for the Duke of York's to visit the US, and £18,900 for a single trip to the pub by the Prince of Wales as part of his 'The Pub is the Hub' campaign. It also lists a £415,000 bill for the Queen's 5-day visit to the US in 2007, including a cost to UK taxpayers of £22,000 for a day trip to the Kentucky Derby.
Spokesperson Graham Smith said:
"As the British people are being told to tighten our belts because of the credit crunch, the Windsor family digs deeper into the taxpayers' pockets. Clearly there is an urgent need to reform the way the monarchy is paid for."
"Our Reform Charter proposes six simple reforms which will help address this problem. The Queen should be paid a salary and the institution of the monarchy should be budgeted and accounted for in the same way as all other government departments or public bodies."
"This increase in royal spending still ignores numerous other costs – the total bill for our head of state is at least £150m, making an average royal around 17 times more expensive than a working member of parliament."
NOTES: ROYAL FINANCES REFORM CHARTER
Republic's Royal Finances Reform Charter proposes the following simple reforms, to improve accountability, transparency and fairness in royal finances:
1 - Parliament to set an annual fixed budget for the monarchy, to be managed and reported on by a government department, not Buckingham Palace;
2 - The Queen to be given a salary, and the Civil List to be scrapped;
3 - All security costs to be made transparent and accountable;
4 - All costs of royal visits around the country to be incorporated into the monarchy's budget, not met by local authorities;
5 - The institution of the monarchy, and all members of the royal household, to be required to abide by the same tax laws and rules as all other public bodies and private individuals;
6 - The monarchy's finances to be fully scrutinised by the National Audit Office, in the same manner as any other public body.
at 02:27 on June 28th, 2008
Excellent, Beaulieu – Good quote: "This increase in royal spending still ignores numerous other costs – the total bill for our head of state is at least £150m, making an average royal around 17 times more expensive than a working member of parliament."
"17 times" indicates the working members of parliament are having a jolly good time!
The Queen collects HUGE revenues on mineral exploration from Commonwealth countries, such as Australia. I can't confirm exactly, but I've heard she owns 62% of Rio Tinto. I'll add a short youtube video of Fred Harrison speaking to this: Ricardo's Law
at 10:34 on June 27th, 2008
Thanks for this, Beaulieu. £18,900 for a single trip to the pub by the Prince of Wales? What was the 'The Pub is the Hub' campaign?
at 11:00 on June 27th, 2008
This is the Campaign for Real Ale.... and £18K is a lot for that kind of trip.
at 10:41 on June 27th, 2008
I'm not surprised that the Queen costs this much - the amount seems to go up every year - must be nice to live that way though...
at 10:56 on June 27th, 2008
Still, she's supposed to switch the lights off at light. At least that's something.
The Queen doesn't have to have so many corgis either. Can't she give them to Battersea Dogs home? The racehorses can go too for that matter. Then she can eat packed lunches. Just by some simple changes she can pay the £2m herself.
at 11:01 on June 27th, 2008
I wonder what our Commonweath friends think of the story?
at 10:50 on June 27th, 2008
How lucky for her to be able to spend so lavishly ....
at 11:03 on June 27th, 2008
I wonder how she compares to other Queens, such as Queen Victoria? I wonder who was the cheapest Queen to run? Any historians here?