Remember that story in February about how Queen Elizabeth used her position to personally lobby government ministers to pass laws which would help her hide her enormous personal wealth? I think about that a lot. There are two different things here: one, the assets of the Crown, and two, the Queen’s personal assets. Assets of the Crown include Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, the Royal Collection jewels and huge swaths of parkland, farmland and real estate making up the Crown Estates. Assets of Liz Petty: her personal jewelry (which is substantial), Sandringham, Balmoral, her horses and hundreds of millions of pounds/dollars in assorted stocks, bonds, cash and assets. Because the Queen has an official position as head of state, she’s entitled to a taxpayer-supported staff for her offices and the staff for the upkeep on the Crown-owned buildings, like BP and Windsor Castle. That money is called the Sovereign Grant, and when the next Sovereign Grant comes up (next year), she will be getting a lot less.
The Queen faces a substantial ‘pay cut’ as ministers look to rein in spending on the monarchy after Covid, according to courtiers. Government officials are in talks with the Palace about a new financial settlement for the Royal Family, insiders claim. Her current five-year Sovereign Grant agreement ends in 2022 and the new one is unlikely to be so generous.
‘The last settlement was exceptional and we cannot expect that to be repeated,’ one courtier told the Daily Mail. ‘Her Majesty is very much aware of the hardships people have been through during the pandemic and is happy to play her part in cutting costs.’
The Royal Family currently receives 25 per cent of the Crown Estate’s profits. They previously received 15 per cent but it was increased to pay for a huge programme of refurbishments at Buckingham Palace.
The Queen, who turns 95 next month, conducted 296 official engagements in 2019, when she was given £82.4 million in taxpayer funding. The Palace claims this is equivalent to £1.23 for every person in the UK. The Sovereign Grant replaced the Civil List as the funding mechanism for the royals in 2012 and funds the family’s public duties, including travel, operating costs of the Queen’s household and the upkeep of palaces.
The Palace admitted last September that it faced a £35million funding shortfall due to Covid-19 — but said it would not ask for extra public money. Senior royal aides said the household would have to tighten its belt, which could lead to job losses. The royals’ expenditure will likely have been pared back over the past year, with Harry and Meghan leaving for the US and Prince Andrew stepping down from public duties.
In the Oprah interview, Harry complained about being financially cut off after relinquishing his royal role. Buckingham Palace declined to comment, but a royal source said: ‘The five-year review into Sovereign Grant funding is due to start in the coming financial year and it would be premature to speculate on the outcome.’
The Queen has been spending lockdown at Windsor Castle where she and Philip have been helped by a much smaller team of staff.
“…At Windsor Castle where she and Philip have been helped by a much smaller team of staff…” That’s something I did not understand about this past pandemic year. It was clear that they were trying to limit the number of people in the “HMS Bubble,” the staffers and protection officers in the bubble with Liz and Phil. So… surely there were already layoffs? The way they made it sound last year was that only a handful of people on security and office staff were pulling these grueling shifts and that morale was low and there was a lot of complaining. Surely people would have just been happy to be employed? Were there people drawing paychecks who didn’t actually have to show up to work during the pandemic? That’s my question and I’d really love an answer at some point. Anyway, yes, belt-tightening. Time to take away the helicopter the Queen gave to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as a way to bribe them into working, surely? Time to cull some of the lazy-ass clowns working in many of the royal offices too.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, WENN.
It’s funny that the do the math to say that it’s just 2 pounds per person, but not the math that she then is getting “paid” 279k pounds per appearance. Yes, she’s not the only one so the number would be lower given everyone in the family, but it would still be unreasonably high.
MrsRobinson, what I also spotted is that the amount is 1.23 per person in the UK. I wonder what it is per TAXPAYER. I doubt the children are paying their portion.
They need to consolidate BP, KP and CH under 1 umbrella, for one.
So much of their PR issues would improve if they would do this. There are too many cooks in the kitchen and half don’t even know what the hell to do. By consolidating maybe than can hire actual professionals in the PR world to help them rebuild some semblance of a good reputation and save money by getting rid of sycophants too. But since it’s a good idea, they probably won’t do it.
This. KP, CH and BP work, act and feel like 3 different monarchies which causes contradictions and communication issues. Once Charles ascends, get BP and CH merge and bring KP under BP/CH in terms of communication at least
True and not just for cost reasons but to avoid having three competing courts doing different things and serving different masters. It’s as if they all forgot this is the reign of Elisabeth II and they should stop effing it up.
Time to cut off those useless cousins and make them pay their own bills.
Thing is, the elderly cousins supported her when she was a young monarch. Gave up their own lives and ability to earn livings in order to help her. Cutting them off now would be cruel, especially as most of them have no private funds.
The Gloucesters, the ones who do have money and private property, did downsize their chunk of the Sovereign Grant considerably in moving to the former stables at Kensington Palace. Princess Alexandra, her late husband bought the lease at Thatched House. Her costs are travel, clothing, very little security, and a small apartment at SJP. Duke of Kent is housed at KP, has no private funds, but also doesn’t cost much in the way of clothing or security.
Big question is, is Andrew losing his Sovereign Grant funding?
So true very true!
When the current Duke of Gloucester’s older brother died in a plane crash, he was told he HAD to give up his day job as an architect and become a senior working royal. He did and has been supporting QEII ever since. Richard Gloucester and his wife still do around, I believe, 150 official engagements year not including charities in which they are privately affiliated with in a non-royal capacity.
From all I have read, Richard Gloucester and his wife are very good people and are an asset to the BRF.
They do a combined 300-400 engagements a year.
Part of the Crown assets include billions in ART. The porcelain collections are very valuable. Let alone the Chippendale furniture. The assets of the Crown are incredible and based on years of colonialism.
@Chill: your comment just reminded me of this video, which I’ve been lmao at nonstop ever since I saw it:
https://twitter.com/vinn_ayy/status/1374477931972423683
It’s hysterical from beginning to end
Lorelei, that video is priceless. I’m still laughing and I hope that he does more of these. He’s so good at it.
Brits have a warped sense of justification when it comes to the monarchy. NO matter how lazy, toxic or useless the RF are, Jo and Joanna public will find a way to justify why they are worth the money. Unless you are married to a black woman and decide to earn your own money of course.
Most British people are fairly indifferent to the BRF unless there’s a wedding or similar. It’s there, it’s always been there, it doesn’t directly impinge on our everyday lives… There is also not a huge amount of clarity around the way it’s funded and even when that’s reported on, it’s frequently framed in minimising terms (“less than £2 per person, that’s nothing!”) and there’s no mention made of the family’s immense personal wealth (who even knows how much that is?). So while there is a minority of staunch supporters, most of the population doesn’t actually give it much thought.
Well, Betty makes more than enough money from the Duchy of Lancaster so she can easily finance whatever she needs from there, let alone her personal wealth. Might be the right time to cut security for her paedo son.
I love that Harry stating he was financially cutoff was included. He was pissed that his own father left him, his wife, and his flipping son to face the death threats on their own. The minimum a caring father with millions of his own could do is front some cash for security for a bit. Harry was complaining about not getting money from the Grant. The Grant doesn’t go to him!
And also, I absolutely believe the Queen skims off some money from the Grant and passes it down to Andrew. No doubt.
While the palaces and jewels belong to the crown/people, I think the people using them should pay rent. They may be caring for them, but they are also the ones putting wear and tear and purple paint into them. Cut the Grant and charge the squatters.
Interesting that they included the Harry cut off part with a no comment from BP. I thought Charles was trying to put out there that he did help them. Wouldn’t a denial be appropriate if what Charles was pushing was true? Plus you’re right the Sovereign Grant was for offices and royal duties so the Sussexes said upfront they would not take that money unless they were working on behalf of the Queen.
I guess the ‘Charles *was* still helping them’ spin didn’t land as they wanted, so they decided to go with ‘the Queen is very responsible with taxpayer money; Harry and Meghan wanted to spend it on American vacations and chicken coops but the Queen put her foot down because she’s so austere and responsible.’
Chucky’s money comes from the revenues of The Duchy of Cornwall not the Sovereign Grant.
Wasn’t there an article about Harry paying off Frogmore and mixing it up with the money was needed because of the pandemic? Also, wasn’t there something about the Crown Estate??? needing to figure out how to show that influx of money (because no one had ever paid back money to keep a building from total disrepair).
I agree, why do they live rent free in a public owned building? Why are they above the british people that pay for the maintenance? Just because they were born from the right V. Sorry, lol.
The family, including Andrew, is funded by the Duchy of Lancaster which rakes in tens of millions of dollars every year. It’s the sovereign’s version of the Duchy of Cornwall.
I find the funding kind of confusing, but there are two main income streams for the Queen, as I understand it – the Duchy of Lancaster, and the Crown estates. I dont think the Duchy is part of the crown estates? So the queen gets back a certain percentage of the crown estate revenues as the “sovereign grant,” but I think the duchy income is just hers? The working royals like Anne and Edward get a salary as part of the sovereign grant, but I’m sure there is a lot more money passed to them through the Queen than is known. So the Queen is definitely still giving Andrew money, its just a matter of where it comes from.
Those who know the details better, please chime in.
Original jenns
She 100% skims. For years BP has been falling apart and hundreds of thousands gets allocated for the renovations only to have it redistributed to her other accounts. The money is always going somewhere and often not to the intended use.
Wrong Place
@Wiglet Watcher – I read somewhere that a large portion of BP renovation money went toward the $6 million restoration for Apartment 1A at KP lived in by Baldingham & Kant and a further $2 million went to re-renovate Anmer Hall to Kate’s taste and specifications to keep the Cambridges happy and hopefully working.
I can’t even begin to imagine the crazy accounting books that family has. My BFF is an accountant and when we were working for an entertainment company when we lived in LA she would tell me about the CRAZY payouts she had to process for people. Some of it for shady, unethical and potentially illegal stuff. I’m sure the sovereign grant is RIFE will line items like that.
I cant even imagine what the accounting is like. It’s got to be so messy and complicated and with one goal – to get as much money for the queen as possible.
Something I dont get about the SG is that it seems its not managed that well. Isnt there something sketchy with the BP renovations, like money was already put aside for it and the upkeep never happened, or the queen wasnt spending money on the routine maintenance so now there is a huge renovation bill that could have been avoided at least in part?
Not just BP, but CH and KP. ALL of those renos/upkeep is *supposed* to come from the SG. Yet as we’ve seen, Brenda ALWAYS asks for ADDITIONAL Mega-Money to make repairs. WHY is no one in gov’t asking WHERE is that upkeep money going? WHY IS THERE *NO* upkeep being done regularly?? IS she “skimming off the top”, buying her race horses, upkeep on her PERSONAL properties, and/or burying the money in offshore accounts, like the Panama (or was it Paradise) Papers showed? WHY is there not a forensic accounting of where/how the money is spent, as it is PUBLIC money???
And people still have the nerve to complain that H&M are making their own money. They are the only ones to pay back renovations and completely extricate themselves from taxpayer funds, unlike Andrew who probably still gets a substantial amount. It’s funny that royals will have to cut back (or appear to) in the UK while H&M are living it up in Montecito. Oh well.
That is what I don’t get, they were cut off and paid back over 2 million pounds and the British still vilify H&M. In the history of the Monarchy has any Royal paid back the people?
racists gonna racist. They can’t fathom that a black person was a part of their Holiest of Holies even for the shortest time.
Perhaps fewer coats, less bespokenness.
The cuts usually affect low-level staff. Cheaper gifts, fewer parties, and someone needs to keep a close eye on the restoration budgets. I wonder what the 35 million shortage involves.
I’m guessing it is lost admission income to royal properties.
@Mac – That is about 80% of it. All of the money from BP admissions goes to buildings & chattel upkeep-maintenance at Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace.
I’m sure Nan has some Jersey money tucked away in a teapot somewhere for a rainy day.
It’s ridiculous that these people have so much and yet steal from the public, however the British that want them are too stupid to see that so therefore they deserve what they get.
I’m sure the only people who will feel the budget cuts are the lower-level staff, the actual royals will not feel any belt tightening, mark my words. They are very good at making sure their luxurious lifestyles are never affected.
I was reading a book (I think it was the norman baker book but could be wrong) that talked about what the king ate every day during World War II – how there was such a PR show that they were also using ration cards and that they were suffering with the people, but they were having elaborate dinners with fancy meats and wine and desserts every night.
Yes so was Churchill. They talked a good talk, but the Royals were booed when they went to the east End because the Queen Mother turned up in a fur coat to walk around the rubble of peoples homes, but it was hushed up in the press. A bit like today.
The story now about the Queen in her furs in jewels is that someone asked her “why are you so dressed up?” Her answer: “didn’t you wear your nicest clothes to meet me? I’m wearing my nicest clothes to meet you!” aw shucks, ma’am!
@lanne – That was the Queen Mum not QEII.
Yes @BTB, I meant the Queen at the time–the Queen Mum
The people who will be affected by the Sovereign Grant cuts will be lower-level staff. God forbid they give up private planes or helicopters, and the higher level courtiers working for the Queen/ getting that SG-funded salary are going to look out for themselves and prevent cuts to their end.
I bet there’s some serious grift with the SG.
Someone correct me if I wrong, but aren’t the security costs for the BRF separate from the Sovereign Grant? As in QEII gets the Sovereign Grant plus all their security costs are covered by taxpayer money. I recall the big kerfluffle that led to some family members losing their security revealed that BRF security costs were something like 100 million pounds a year.
Security costs are often hidden in other budgets, like Foreign Office, local police officers, etc. The Met Police refused to keep providing security (out of their Met budget) at one of the Palaces a few years ago.
There is an article on the front page of Guardian: revealed how law was changed to prevent police search for stolen artefacts and looted art pieces on all Queens properties. Wow! And there is silence from both BP and Government. If that was up to me as an editor I would shout about from the roofs in capital letters. So much awful things coming out and silence mostly everywhere it is shocking
I wonder how much stolen art Hitler gave his buddy Edward that then ended up in English palaces.
“Were there people drawing paychecks who didn’t actually have to show up to work during the pandemic?”
If I had to guess, I’d say yes, because they probably didn’t want the bad publicity of laying people off during a pandemic.
Good. The monarchy has lost 3 working royals and will continue to lose more once some of the older royals start dying so there’s no need to act like 15+ working royals are going to remain in the future.
I would also say that there needs to be bigger financial oversight into the BRF fiances. Say that only x amount of money is for renovations and renovations only. Create a calendar for when repairs are done so the Crown estates aren’t left too derelict so costs aren’t too high to repair them. Also give each royal a “salary”. They get a base amount for every ribbon cutting engagement done and work out an hourly rate or something for big projects and pay them if/when they work on the projects. Don’t work? No money. Idk how it’s currently done but if it’s not done like this, it may encourage some of the lazy ones to do more if it will effect their lifestyles.
For a family that is called “The Firm”, it’s time it was treated like one. And yes I know this reads like a pipe dream but hey, I can dream.
Has there ever been a full audit done of the Royal Family finances? Given that they get so much money from the public purse, an occasional audit would shine a light on this financially murky institution given that we’re in such difficult times. It might be very enlightening.
They forgot to mention in the article that Harry paid back 2.5 million pounds into the Sovereign Grant.
I’m glad these grifters are getting less money. It’s not just because of Covid, though. People are starting to question the corrupt practices of the monarchy in the U.K. According to the Guardian 50,000 people signed a petition for transparency/inquiry into The Queen’s Consent. There are other petitions out there to abolish it. There’s another interesting article in the Guardian on how the the Queen skated around returning their looted treasure.
“Police have been barred from searching the Queen’s private estates for stolen or looted artefacts after ministers granted her a personal exemption from a law that protects the world’s cultural property, the Guardian can reveal.” another exemption. WTF?
These people are above the law and have continued to steal from British citizens in the form of increasing taxes and the looting of Commonwealth artifacts.The very least they can do is cut back on their spending and accept the cutbacks in funding.
I’m always surprised at the vitriol aimed at Harry and Meg when the UK has this is going on along with the Pandemic and Brexit. As an American, I admit I don’t understand how one can be a royalist when you see how corrupt it all is. Is it the thousands of years of ingrained servitude and serfdom? Are they all suffering from Stockholm syndrome? How do you accept playing the peasant role to a monarchy that insists on taking your money for doing nothing?
“Is it the thousands of years of ingrained servitude and serfdom? Are they all suffering from Stockholm syndrome? How do you accept playing the peasant role to a monarchy that insists on taking your money for doing nothing?”
Truthfully, I think it is a lot like that. Just observing people on Twitter alone is enough to make me see that having the RF is ingrained in all of their psyches. Many of them will dig their heels into the ground and defend even the most obvious and appalling offenses.
I actually saw a man say (I’m paraphrasing) “I love my children but I’ve told them very clearly that I would sacrifice them for our Queen if she ever requested it in a heartbeat!” This was just a couple weeks ago and he said this as if he was so proud of his own loyalty. I for one think anyone who is willing to sacrifice their own children (just the contemplation of it) for the Queen legit has something wrong happening in their brain and their thinking.
When I read history by English historians that talks about Henry VIII, they are always weirdly careful and deferent. In the U.S., he’s seen as the psycopathic murderous slime that he was — not just of his wives, but of huge numbers of the population. (Their beloved Queen Bess, Elizabeth I, also killed tons of people on her green and pleasant land.) But in Britain he still gets a certain amount of reverence. It’s deeply strange. It feels religious.
These Brits are emotionally stunted-go figure.
From Keri o down to the last comment I have felt this way for the past 20 years. It’s like what are the royals doing? Brainwashing them with commercials. It’s got to be a British thing, including the Commonwealth countries of color. I don’t get it .
From Keri on down to the last comment I have felt this way for the past 20 years. It’s like what are the royals doing? Brainwashing them with commercials. The generational damage that Birdie Bats past family members have done as the British empire on down is enough for me to wonder why and how the commonwealth countries of color can be so humble and happy to be in the presence of Birdie or Charles/ Wills. They can’t handle one person of color marrying into their family how can they represent people of color in any capacity? I mainly speak of black people.