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| Royals 'cost each taxpayer 66p' | |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| The Queen and the Royal Family have cost each taxpayer 66p during the last 12 months - up 4p on the previous year, Buckingham Palace accounts have shown. | The Queen and the Royal Family have cost each taxpayer 66p during the last 12 months - up 4p on the previous year, Buckingham Palace accounts have shown. |
| The total amount spent on maintaining the monarchy in the year to 31 March rose by £2m to £40m, figures revealed. | The total amount spent on maintaining the monarchy in the year to 31 March rose by £2m to £40m, figures revealed. |
| The cost of official royal travel and the Queen's Civil List - funds for her work as head of state - also increased. | The cost of official royal travel and the Queen's Civil List - funds for her work as head of state - also increased. |
| Officials said much of the money was spent on more official overseas trips and essential maintenance of palaces. | Officials said much of the money was spent on more official overseas trips and essential maintenance of palaces. |
| Overseas trips | |
| The amount spent on royal travel rose by £600,000 to £6.2m during the 2007-08 financial year and the Queen's Civil List increased by £500,000 to £12.7m. | |
| The most expensive official overseas engagement was the Queen's state visit to America in May last year to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement. | |
ROYAL PUBLIC FINANCESFinancial summary, year to 31 March 20082008 (£ millions) 2007 (£ millions) The Queen's civil list 12.7 12.2 Parliamentary annuities 0.4 0.4 Grants-in-aid 22.0 20.6 Expenditure met by govt depts 4.9 4.8 Total 40.0 38.0 | |
| A plane was chartered at a cost of £381,813. | |
| Buckingham Palace officials described the cost of the Royal Family to each taxpayer as less than the price of two pints of milk or an MP3 player download. | |
| Sir Alan Reid, Keeper of the Privy Purse, pointed out that the annual cost of the monarchy was lower in real terms than in 2001 and that the royals had responded to demands from government to carry out more visits abroad. | Sir Alan Reid, Keeper of the Privy Purse, pointed out that the annual cost of the monarchy was lower in real terms than in 2001 and that the royals had responded to demands from government to carry out more visits abroad. |
ROYAL PUBLIC FINANCESFinancial summary, year to 31 March 20082008 (£ millions) 2007 (£ millions) The Queen's civil list 12.7 12.2 Parliamentary annuities 0.4 0.4 Grants-in-aid 22.0 20.6 Expenditure met by gov depts 4.9 4.8 Total 40.0 38.0 | |
| "Expenditure on royal travel, which will vary from year to year, also increased in response to the number of overseas visits undertaken at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and UK Trade and Investment," he said. | "Expenditure on royal travel, which will vary from year to year, also increased in response to the number of overseas visits undertaken at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and UK Trade and Investment," he said. |
| He said a grant from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport for the maintenance of palaces was to remain at £15m each year for the next three years. | He said a grant from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport for the maintenance of palaces was to remain at £15m each year for the next three years. |
| This meant that without an increase in funding for 12 years, "the backlog in essential maintenance projects has continued to grow", he added. | This meant that without an increase in funding for 12 years, "the backlog in essential maintenance projects has continued to grow", he added. |
| "In the absence of any increase of funding, the backlog of work is estimated at £32m in today's money." | "In the absence of any increase of funding, the backlog of work is estimated at £32m in today's money." |
| The £40m quoted in the accounts does not include the cost of security provided by the police and Army or the ceremonial duties carried out by the armed forces. |