A new report into the finances of the Royal Family has confirmed that Queen Camilla will not receive a Parliamentary annuity, as Prince Philip did.
The Prince Consort was granted an annual stipend of £359,000 to fund his official work, following a move to rework royal finances in 2012. This plan moved from the Civil List to a Sovereign Support Grant, a figure based on the performance of the Crown Estate.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, disembark from a British Airways Concord, landing in the USA in 1991 (The U.S. National Archives)
The UK’s independent public spending watchdog’s Royal Household spending and accountability report, published last week, examined the royal funding as part of the National Audit Office’s (NAO) work to ‘improve transparency’.
It stated: ‘Parliament provided Prince Philip with a separate annuity worth £359,000 per annum. Queen Camilla will not receive a separate annuity and the Queen’s activities will be funded from the Grant.’
Legislation at the time of the change name Prince Philip to carry on receiving the annuity for his lifetime, as he had done since 1952. The late Duke of Edinburgh retired in 2017, and died in 2021 aged 99.
Camilla’s role will instead be funded from the central Sovereign Support Grant, like most working members of the Royal Family.
The Queen will not receive a separate annuity for her official work like Prince Philip did
The Royal Household receives this money each year to fund transport, upkeep of official royal residences, staff wages and hospitality costs. For the last 12 months, this totalled £86.3 million, equivalent to £1.29 per person in the UK.
Security costs do not come from this pot, but rather the Government as it is police protection.
The Prince and Princess of Wales’ household, meanwhile, is funded by William’s income from the Duchy of Cornwall.
Part of the report also referenced the refurbishment of Buckingham Palace, a decade-long project to update the residence which has been neglected somewhat in terms of the building’s core electrics and plumbing since the mid-20th century.
So far, £185 million has been spent on the works from 2017 to 2023, the report said. The NAO added: ‘The Royal Household told us that the project is on track and is not expected to go over budget.’
