June 28th 2023.
Buckingham Palace is just one of the many royal homes that have adopted cost-cutting methods. A royal accounts report revealed that the heating at Buckingham Palace and other royal homes was turned down to 19C during the winter to lower emissions levels. This is part of King Charles' pledge to protect the environment, tackle climate change, and protect wildlife. His commitment to sustainability is evident in other areas too, such as recycling bathwater at Clarence House and running his Aston Martin on sustainable fuel.
However, the cost of the royal family for taxpayers has risen for the second year in a row. The sovereign grant accounts show that the figure has increased by £5.1 million, or 5%, to £107.5 million for 2022-23. Aides say this is due to the change of monarchs, inflation, and the continuous costs of the Buckingham Palace's reservicing programme, a 10-year project to update the electrical cabling, plumbing, and heating.
The royal household also failed to meet its diversity target set in 2021, as the 2023 figure of 9.7% is the same as last year. This is despite payroll costs increasing by £3.4 million to £27.1 million, with staff given a pay rise of about 5-6%.
Spending on travel for the royal family was down £600,000 to £3.9 million, while housekeeping and hospitality rose from £1.3 million to £2.4 million. Property maintenance, on the other hand, fell by £6.1 million to £57.8 million. After Prince Harry and Meghan were removed from Frogmore Cottage, there has been speculation about who will be the next tenant. Prince Andrew has refused to downsize from the Royal Lodge into Frogmore Cottage.
Sir Michael Stevens, keeper of the privy purse, said the past 12 months has been 'a year of grief, change and celebration, the like of which our nation has not witnessed for seven decades'. He added, 'These past 12 months have taken us from the Platinum Jubilee in the summer of last year, to the sadness of the death of Elizabeth II and the accession of our new sovereign in the autumn, via an incoming and outgoing state visit and many months of work in preparation for the coronation of their majesties King Charles and Queen Camilla in the spring of this year.'
The sovereign grant remained unchanged at £86.3 million during 2022/23. This grant pays for Charles' official duties, his household, and for ongoing reservicing costs for the palace. It is all part of Charles' attempt to help the environment, even if it means tightening the royal purse strings.
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