THE CIVIL LIST
This is the amount of money provided by Parliament to meet the official expenses of The Queen's Household, so that The Queen can carry out her role as Head of State and Head of the Commonwealth. The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh are the only members of the Royal Family to receive an annual parliamentary allowance.
In 1760, George III reached an agreement with the Government over the Crown Estate. The Crown Lands would be managed on behalf of the Government and the surplus revenue would go to the Treasury. In return, the King would receive a fixed annual payment, which we call today the Civil List.
About 70 per cent of the Civil List expenditure goes on staff salaries. It also goes towards meeting the costs of official functions such as garden parties, receptions and official entertainment during State Visits. The Queen entertains almost 50,000 people each year. The Royal Household strives to be open and transparent, and details of expenditure are published in an Annual Summary and Annual Report.
According to new figures published last week, this now costs the population an estimated 51p each per year. The Queen herself takes care of the expenses of the other members of the Royal Family, who assist her with the many requests for royal engagements. Last week, the Crown Estate announced a record annual profit of £230.9 million. The monarch receives a fixed payment, while the rest goes to the Treasury.
The new Sovereign Grant Bill creates a new scheme in which the royal family's annual budget, still paid from the profits of the Crown Estates, would theoretically rise and fall in line with the wider economy, and any end-of-year surplus could be saved to reduce the government payment in the next financial year. The sovereign grant would also enable MPs to subject the Queen's coffers to the same detailed audit and examination as Whitehall departments, to ensure they provide “value for money”.
What do you think?
Is the Monarchy worth the money it is paid?
And even if the costs are high does the revenue generated actually benefit the country?