Money is short in the UK Royal Household

WHILST the Royal Household has no intention of asking for additional funding, the Keeper of the Privy Purse who looks after the British Royal Family’s finances estimates that there will be a shortfall in income of £35 million (€38.5 million) over the next three years due to the pandemic.

His latest report covers the period April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020 so does not show the drastic drop in income suffered due to lockdown which saw all of the royal profit centres like Windsor Castle closed.

No royal staff were laid off or furloughed although a pay freeze was introduced in April as well as a halt to recruitment except to fill absolutely vital roles but overall expenditure continued to increase last year with travel costing in excess of £5 million (€5.5 million).

Stand out charges according to the BBC were the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s trip to southern Africa costing just under a quarter of a million pounds and £15,000 (€16,500) to charter an aircraft for the Duke of York to fly to Northern Ireland to attend a golf tournament.

At least expenses for those two Royal Dukes will be greatly reduced this year as they retire from public life.