It is time for Britain’s “bloated” Royal Family to be slimmed down in line with smaller European monarchies, The i Paper has been told.
Critics are angry that the royals’ core funding from UK taxpayers will double in a period of just three years – rising to almost £100m next year.
It comes as the monarchy’s latest annual accounts revealed an increase in spending, with an expansion in staffing levels, travel and hospitality.
The royals took 177 helicopter trips at an average cost of £4,000 a journey, a £66,000 “planning” trip was made ahead of the King’s US state visit and salaries for 563 staff amounted to £33.7m last year.
Buckingham Palace has promised to continue its “value for money” principle when it comes to the taxpayer-funded Sovereign Grant, which pays for official duties and palaces.
The grant from the Government is “not a blank cheque”, insisted the King’s treasurer James Charles, as he defended spending levels.
However, cynics are vexed that a so-called “golden ratchet” mechanism means the core Sovereign Grant can go up but cannot come down, with no way for parliament to reign in the royals’ spending.
“It is bloated,” said Labour peer George Foulkes on the size of royal family’s operations.
“It is unnecessarily huge, in terms on the number of hangers on, the number of palaces, the travel, the staff to support it all,” Lord Foulkes told The i Paper. “It should be much more modest.”
Staff, travel and hospitality spending bill rises
The Sovereign Grant rose from £132.1m in 2025/26 to £137.9m in 2026/27, the latest annual accounts confirmed. But these sums include the extra payments given for Buckingham Palace refurbishment in recent years.
Aside from the repairs, the core Sovereign Grant funding will rise from £51.8m in 2024-25 to £99.9m next year. The Government has made clear that it intends for the “golden ratchet” – the mechanism that stops the grant from coming down – to remain in place in future.
Despite fewer working royals following the exit of Prince Harry and Meghan, the monarchy’s spending has increased. Travel costs rose to £5.1m over the past year – up from £4.7m the previous year.
The most expensive official visit was William’s trip to Saudi Arabia in February, at £130,000. Charles and Camilla’s four-day state visit to Italy last year cost £127,000. The bill for William’s trip to Cop30 in Brazil in November was £79,000.
The full cost of the King’s state visit to the US in April won’t be clear until next year’s report. But a “planning visit” by royal staff to the US and Bermuda ahead of the trip cost £66,000.
There was increased use of royal helicopters, with 177 journeys made by the royals in the past year costing £733,000 – or £4,100 for each trip.
William’s trip to Saudi Arabia cost £130,000 (Photo: Reuters)Staffing has also expanded. The headcount of those working for the royals is now 563 – up from 539 the year before. Payroll costs increased to £33.7m, up from £29.9m.
Housekeeping and hospitality – including the royals’ food and drinks bill – has also increased from £3.2 to £3.5m since last year.
‘The monarchy is bloated – it needs to go on a diet’
Norman Baker, the former minister and author of Royal Mint: National Debt, wants the Sovereign Grant scrapped and replaced with a new “royal duties grant” – allowing MPs to vote for a smaller sum, year by year.
“The monarchy is certainly bloated – it’s essentially overweight and needs to go on a diet,” said Baker. “But the royals won’t do it unless they are forced to by pressure from parliament, the media and the public.”
“Having fewer people on the balcony, although welcome, is not enough,” added the author. “You can only talk about a slimmed down monarchy if there is a sustained reduction in costs.”
Baroness Margaret Hodge said MPs and peers need to ask “serious questions” about the size of the Sovereign Grant and whether the “golden ratchet” mechanism can be changed.
“At a time that many are struggling with the cost of living, for it [the core grant] to have doubled since 2024-25 is not a good look,” the Labour peer told The i Paper. “It can’t be justified.”
“I’m not anti-monarchy, I just hope that the monarchy can modernise so it’s fit for this century,” Baroness Hodge added.
Tax bills create more questions about private wealth
King Charles enjoyed a private income of £25.2m from his Duchy of Lancaster property empire, the latest accounts show. Likewise, Prince William took £21.6m from his Duchy of Cornwall estate.
Both have shared their tax bills in a move to boost transparency. The King paid more than £30m in tax since he came to the throne, while the Prince has paid over £20m to HMRC in the period.
The tax release was a “deliberate distraction from the reality that the household staffing, the travel, the Sovereign Grant is unchanged”, argued Lord Foulkes.
“If they [Charles and William] have these other income streams, there’s no reason they can’t pay for more themselves.”
The idea of a “slimmed down” monarchy has been much discussed in recent years. The Prince of Wales has talked about wanting “a smaller R” in royal – suggesting that he wants to cut out some of the pomp and pageantry.
Can the monarchy be slimmed down in future?
Prince William “realises that costs need to be reduced in the long-term”, said Robert Jobson, author of The Windsor Legacy: A Royal Dynasty of Secrets, Scandal and Survival.
“He won’t want to keep the same level of flummery and pageantry,” said Jobson. “It remains to be seen how much he will slim it down – things can look different when you get into the top job.”
Prince William may streamline the royal family in future, say commentators (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams believes the Sovereign Grant still represents “excellent value” for taxpayers. Money raised for charity and the diplomatic soft power the monarchy offers remain “compelling arguments”, he said.
William understands the need to “streamline”, added Fitzwilliams. The heir is also aware that “grace and favour” housing for Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie – whose rents are covered privately by King Charles – may be unsustainable, he added.
“But it’s unrealistic to expect the costs to come down substantially – not if you want the monarchy to function roughly as it is, with so many duties,” added the royal commentator.
Dr Craig Prescott, constitutional expert at Royal Holloway, University of London, pointed to the streamlined monarchy of Spain, focused solely on the monarch and his children.
“There is a sense that the [British] public may not tolerate a large royal family in future,” he said. “But the public will still want an active royal family working for charity, working on the diplomatic, soft power stuff.”
The controversies surrounding Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor “hasn’t triggered a huge drop in support for the monarchy,” added Dr Prescott. “So Buckingham Palace may continue to take a gentle approach to change.”
The King and Queen Camilla will no longer use Buckingham Palace as their “personal residence” and will live at Clarence House, the latest annual report also revealed.
The Palace will remain the main workplace of the monarchy, but there will be increased opportunities for public access, said officials.
Buckingham Palace was approached for comment.
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