Travel
The Royal Family Spent £4.2 Million on Official Travel Last Year
A key part of the royal family’s role involves traveling the length and breadth of the U.K as well as on overseas trip representing the interests of the British Government. But those visits can be expensive, and how much they cost the British public is thrust into the spotlight once a year when the royal finances are published.
The royal household’s latest financial reports are published today, with figures showing that the family spent a total of £4.2 million on travel in the financial year ending March 2024. The sum was from a total grant from the British government to the monarchy of £86.3 million in the 2023/24 financial year.
The family’s use of charter flights added significantly to the bill. When the King and Queen made their State Visit to France last September, the cost for travel was £117,942, which covers their charter flight and the train for the their staff. Similarly, when they went to Kenya by charter last October, the total cost of the trip, which included staff planning visits, was £166,557. When Prince William went to Kuwait to pay condolences following the death of Emir Sheik Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah in December his charter flight cost £41,597.
The royals are also allowed to charge their travel to the British public when they are going from residence to residence. When the King took a charter plane from Aberdeen near to Balmoral to Farnborough near to Windsor in September last year, the trip was described in accounting as “residence to residence” and cost £22,248.
One of the most expensive itemised trips was a two-day outing on the royal train by the King last June. This saw him travel from Windsor to North Yorkshire and back to London for a series of engagements at a cost of £52,013.
“Travel is a very important part of the activities of the royal family, enabling His Majesty to perform his official duties, and for other members of the royal family,” Sir Michael Stevens, the King’s Treasurer known as Keeper of the Privy Purse, told reporters today. However, he did say that use of the royal train may be reviewed. “We have said that we will review the usage of the royal train during this reign. We are 18 months into the reign and therefore that pattern of usage is still to be determined. But we are committed to reviewing its use in the coming years,” he said.
The financial reports are usually published in June but were delayed this year due to the U.K’s general election on July 4.
Town & Country Contributing Editor Victoria Murphy has reported on the British Royal Family since 2010. She has interviewed Prince Harry and has travelled the world covering several royal tours. She is a frequent contributor to Good Morning America. Victoria authored Town & Country book The Queen: A Life in Pictures, released in 2021.
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