Queen Elizabeth II. -AFP filepic
LONDON: They may have to start counting the pennies at Buckingham Palace. Queen Elizabeth II received her lowest rise in public funding since the U.K. changed its financing arrangement with the royal family six years ago.
The U.K. Treasury said in its 2018 Budget this week that Her Royal Highness will get 82.4 million pounds ($104.7 million) for the next financial year to fund her duties as monarch, a 0.2 percent rise from the prior 12 months, trailing September’s 2.4 percent annual inflation rate.
The Queen, 92, the U.K.’s longest-reigning monarch, receives public funding through the income of the estate that oversees the land, palaces and jewels owned by the serving sovereign. She received 15 percent of The Crown Estate’s profits from the Treasury between 2012 and 2016, but the rate rose to 25 percent the following year to pay for Buckingham Palace’s decade-long overhaul.
Based on the U.K.’s 2017 population of 66 million, she costs each citizen 1.20 pounds on average.
A Treasury spokesman declined to comment on the latest figures. He said the government had to act in prior years to increase funds for Buckingham Palace.
“It’s an iconic building that attracts thousands of tourists that was at serious risk of fire and flooding.”
Adam Pritchard, a spokesman for The Crown Estate, declined to comment on the latest grant.
Separate to The Crown Estate, assets owned directly by the Queen and her immediate family include a stud farm and the world’s most valuable stamp collection.
She has a net worth of at least $420 million from her direct holdings, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. - Bloomberg
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