King Charles and his eldest son Prince William have come under unexpected scrutiny after an explosive revelation that shocked the British public.
The 2025/26 royal accounts reveal official net spending by the royal family of £117.2m. Between 2024 and 2025, when the figure was £85.2 million, there has been a spectacular increase of 37.5 per cent.
Royal estate maintenance contributed hugely to the increase, costing £67.5m, up from £41.2m the previous year.
It was revealed on Thursday that despite £369 million in property improvements and essential maintenance at Buckingham Palace, the King and Queen Camilla have no intention of moving into the iconic residence, and no royals are likely to live there.
According to the latest report, in 2025/26 the cost of official royal travel rose to £5.1 million from £4.7 million 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 came in third place, with his Cop30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, costing £78,542. The expenditure also includes the actual wage bill for staff, which was £33.7m this year, up from £3.8m in 2024/25.
Meanwhile, the cost of the clean-up also increased by £300,000 to £3.5 million.
The number of public engagements carried out by the King and Queen across the UK increased by 17 per cent, topping 700. And the 77-year-old monarch’s income also increased; its private windfall reached £25.2m, up from £24.4m.
The monarchy will receive £99.9 million over two years due to profits of £487 million from the Crown Estate and under a new 20.5 per cent formula agreed with the Government, compared to £132 million in 2025/26.
This decision, made by outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Chancellor Rachel Reeves and James Chalmers, the Keeper of the Private Treasury and Treasurer to the King, has faced backlash.
Graham Smith, chief executive of the anti-monarchy group Republic, harshly criticized the royals’ lavish lifestyle.
He continued: “The royal finances are out of control and Parliament needs to act to cut the annual budget to less than £10m.”
As for William, his annual private income from the Duchy of Cornwall estate decreased by £1.3 million to £21.6 million.
