King Charles and his eldest son, Prince William, have come under unexpected scrutiny after a bombshell revelation that stunned the British public.
The 2025/26 royal accounts reveal the official net expenditure by the royal family at £117.2million. From 2024-25, where the figure stood at £85.2million, it has seen a dramatic 37.5 per cent increase.
The royal property maintenance hugely contributed to the rise, costing £67.5million, up from £41.2million the previous year.
It was revealed on Thursday that despite £369million on property upgrades and essential maintenance at Buckingham Palace, the King and Queen Camilla have no intention to move into the iconic residence, and no royals are likely to live there.
As per latest report, in 2025/26, the cost of official royal travel rose to £5.1million from £4.7million the previous year.
Surprisingly, the heir to the British throne’s tour to Saudi Arabia in February was the most expensive of all, costing £130,106. The prince of Wales’ even surpassed the £126,946 spent on the King and Queen’s four-day state visit to Italy in April 2025.
Princess Kate’s husband also took up third spot, with his Cop30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, costing £78,542. The xpenditure also include the royal wage bill for staff, which was £33.7million this year, a rise of £3.8million in 2024/25.
On the other hand, the cost of housekeeping also grew by £300,000, to £3.5million.
The number of public engagements carried out by the King and Queen across the UK increased by 17 per cent, surpassing 700. And the 77-year-old monarch’s income also rose; his private windfall hit £25.2million, increasing from £24.4million.
The monarchy will receive £99.9million in two years because of the £487million Crown Estate profits and under a new 20.5 per cent formula agreed with the Government, compared with £132million in 2025/26.
This decision, made by outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Chancellor Rachel Reeves, and James Chalmers, the King’s Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer, has faced backlash.
Graham Smith, chief executive of anti-monarchy group Republic, slammed the royals their lavish life style.
He went on: “Royal finances are out of control and Parliament needs to act to slash the annual budget to below £10million.”
As for William, his annual private income from the Duchy of Cornwall estate decreased by £1.3million, to £21.6million.
2026-06-26 22:09:00
