How Much Does The Royal Family Cost?

The Queen has published her financial accounts, which show that the Royal Family cost the taxpayer 52p per person last year.

But the figure, published in the public finances annual report, does not include the cost of providing security and police protection for members of the monarchy.

The Queen's official expenditure increased by £200,000 from £32.1m in 2010-11 to £32.3m in 2011-12.

The cost to pay for official air and rail travel at home and abroad for members of the Royal Family increased by £100,000 from £6m in 2010-11 to £6.1m in 2011-12.

The most expensive bill for a single trip was for the Prince of Wales's official visit to Kuwait and Qatar last autumn and then on to South Africa and Tanzania when he was joined by the Duchess of Cornwall.

The cost of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's flight home from California after a visit to the US state last summer came to £51,410, as William and Kate and their adviser Sir David Manning were upgraded from business to first class seats on the scheduled British Airways flight.

But the cost of running the Buckingham Palace press office, maintaining the official website and providing information to the public fell from £500,000 to £400,000.

Civil List funding, much of it used to pay the wages of her Royal Household staff, fell by £100,000 from £13.7m to £13.6m.

Sir Alan Reid, Keeper of the Privy Purse, said: "When the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced his plans for the public expenditure to reduce by 25% in real terms over a four-year period, the Queen was very keen that the Royal Household should play its part in reducing its expenditure accordingly.

"We are pleased to report that we have achieved this reduction a year ahead of the public expenditure target and managed to transfer £3.3m to the Sovereign Grant reserve.

"The decrease in expenditure is due mainly to the continuation of a pay freeze, increased income generation, and the deferral of property maintenance expenditure.

Royal finances are in a transitional phase as the old system is phased out and a new Sovereign Grant funding model is introduced.

It will replace money from the Civil List, Government funds which cover the official expenses of the Queen and her household, and grants-in-aid.

Under the new grant, the Queen will receive 15% of the profits from the £6.7bn Crown Estate.

The grant for the 2012/13 financial year has already been set at £31m but for 2013/14, when the new formula begins, it is estimated to be worth £36m.

Meanwhile, pipers, dancers and drummers are gearing up to parade down Edinburgh's Royal Mile to mark the Queen's visit to Scotland during the Diamond Jubilee year on Thursday.

The Queen began her week-long residence in Scotland today and, alongside the Duke of Edinburgh, she will visit Edinburgh, Glasgow and Perth, taking part in various engagements.

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