This Is How Much Money The Royal Family Costs British Taxpayers

It’s no secret that British taxpayers help finance some of the royal family’s activities and that it has led to issues in the past from those who feel the group is too lavish with spending. Now, a new study reveals just how much the public has reportedly spent on Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince Harry and the rest of the group in the last year, and the number is sure to raise some anger.

According to Express UK, the Royal Household received an extra £19.6 million in taxpayer money in the past year “due to an increase in expenditure on property maintenance.” This number is an increase of 41 percent over the same expenses in 2018, according to figures from Statista. Those numbers have generally increased every year since 2012, rising from £32.4 million that year to £67 million this year.

The money comes through the Sovereign Grant, which is the money the British government gives to the royals to support the Queen’s duties each year, and it is used on the maintenance of occupied Royal Palaces. As the family has grown, that has led to an increase in those costs, with maintenance work required at Buckingham Palace, St. James's Palace, Clarence House, Marlborough House Mews, residential and office areas of Kensington Palace, Windsor Castle, and the home and great parks at Windsor, Hampton Court Mews and Paddocks. The amount is calculated based on how much public income the Queen generates from her property portfolio, known as the Crown Estate.

While the grant was previously calculated based on 15 percent of the income account of the Crown Estate, Royal trustees did agree that from 2017 to 2018, it would be raised to 25 percent in order to help fund the reservicing of Buckingham Palace over a period of ten years.

The news of how much the taxpayers have spent on the royal family comes shortly after public outcry over the nearly £3 million that was spent on renovations to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s home, Frogmore Cottage.