Do taxpayers pay for the Royal Family?
The taxpayers do not pay the Royal family. This is a common misunderstanding due to the complex history of the relationship between the Royal family and the UK government/treasury. Other than the Queen's personal wealth, funding for the Royal family comes in two forms: the Sovereign Grant and the Privy Purse.
The British Royal Family is funded mainly by the Sovereign Grant, which replaced the Civil List in 2012. It currently stands at £86.3 million a year and has remained unchanged since 2021. £3.6 million came from property rentals, and £57.8 million was spent on royal houses.
The big question on everyone's lips, especially since the recent passing of the Queen. The short answer is yes, some UK tax does go to the Royal Family. This is most commonly through the Sovereign Grant. But let's take a look at how much of taxpayers money is actually paid to the Royal Family.
Technically the crown estate is owned by the royal family. If the monarchy was abolished peacefully, they'd either get to keep their estate, or the state would buy it from them. If it was abolished by force, they'd get nothing, and would be lucky to keep their lives.
The royal boost in terms of international tourism accounts for around £64 million per year, it believes, with another £20 million brought in by extra visitors motivated by the Coronation. Whether holidaymakers are fans of King Charles III or not doesn't seem to matter much.
How much money does the Royal Family get from the taxpayer? For 2022-2023, the Sovereign Grant was worth £86.3m, the same as in 2021-2022.
Brand Finance estimates that in 2017 the Monarchy generated a gross uplift of £1.766 billion to the UK economy. The contribution includes the Crown Estate's surplus as well as the Monarchy's indirect effect on various industries.
The Occupied Royal Palaces are held in trust for the nation by The King as Sovereign. Their maintenance and upkeep is one of the expenses met by the government in return for the surrender by the Sovereign of the hereditary revenues of the Crown (mainly the profit from The Crown Estate).
It's hard to get a good estimate of the King's personal wealth, but the Guardian's estimates put it at around $2.25 billion. The King also receives significant annual income from both the Sovereign Grant and the Privy Purse, together equating to around $138 million a year.
If you mean do they get paid a wage for being members of the Royal family then the answer is no. There is no salary for being a Royal. Working Royals get financially compensated for the amount of time they spend annually carrying out duties on behalf of The Crown. This is paid by the Queen out of the Sovereign Grant.
Does the British royal family own land in America?
After the signing of the Treaty of Paris 1783 there was no land owned by the British Royal Family in the United States. Since then It is highly likely that those managing the Royal investment portfolio have purchased land and other property in various countries of the world.
Not everything has to change
We simply take parliament and head of state and make both fully democratic. We would still have a prime minister at the head of government, we would still have the House of Commons and a second chamber, with elected representatives replacing the lords.
While the average annual cost for UK taxpayers in royal upkeep comes to around £500m a year, Brand Finance estimates the monarchy's brand contributes £2.5bn to the British economy in the same timeframe.
Occupied Royal Palaces, such as Buckingham Palace, are not the private property of The Queen. They are occupied by the Sovereign and held in trust by Crown Estates for future generations. The Queen privately owns two properties, Balmoral Castle and Sandringham House, which are not publicly funded.
In 1760, George III reached an agreement with the Government over the Estate. The Crown Lands would be managed on behalf of the Government and the surplus revenue would go to the Treasury. In return, the King would receive a fixed annual payment, which was called the Civil List.
As Head of State, The Monarch undertakes constitutional and representational duties which have developed over one thousand years of history. In addition to these State duties, The Monarch has a less formal role as 'Head of Nation'.
Brand Finance, which bills itself as the world's leading brand valuation consultancy, estimated that the royals contributed 1.77 billion pounds ($1.95bn) to the UK economy in 2017 through a combination of the Crown Estate's revenues and indirect benefits for tourism, trade, media and the arts.
The royal family get their money from the income raised from the royal estates and royal collection and on those they pay the government 85% tax. The duchy of Cornwall which is responsibility of the Prince of Wales also pays tax at a higher rate than required.
Charles' eldest son, Prince William, now has the Duchy of Cornwall—a large, lucrative estate—in his possession, along with $1.2 billion in net assets that include the Oval cricket ground in London, Charles' former residence at Highgrove House, and the Isles of Scilly, according to Forbes.
“Spread amongst the 67 million people of the United Kingdom, the recurring financial benefits of the Monarchy are estimated to be over £8.50 per person, per year, and the recurring costs are estimated to be approximately £5.50 per person, per year.”
Why does the British monarchy still exist?
The UK Government has called the monarchy "a unique soft power and diplomatic asset". The Crown also occupies a unique cultural role, serving as an unofficial brand ambassador for British interests and values abroad, increasing tourism at home, and promoting charities throughout civil society.
The sovereign and the wider royal family have three main sources of income – the crown estate, the Duchy of Lancaster and the Duchy of Cornwall – much of it derived from centuries-long ownership of land and property across the country, including in central London, and even the seabed around swathes of the British Isles ...
With the Queen's passing, King Charles has inherited Windsor Castle from his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and the Sunday Times reported that William and Kate may ultimately occupy the castle, taking on new roles with their change in status.
Our assets are hereditary possessions of the Sovereign held 'in right of the Crown'. This means they belong to the Sovereign for the duration of their reign, but cannot be sold by them, nor do revenues from the assets belong to them.
The average The Royal Household salary ranges from approximately £18,109 per year for Catering Assistant to £64,152 per year for IT Security Specialist. Average The Royal Household hourly pay ranges from approximately £9.85 per hour for Admissions Assistant to £11.99 per hour for Customer Service Team Lead.
