King Charles III is to receive a huge pay rise from the UK taxpayer, according to government plans to boost public funding of the monarchy by 45% from 2025.
Details of the increase, which comes against the backdrop of a cost of living crisis, were contained in a review of royal funding published by the Treasury on Thursday. It revealed the royal family’s grant is due to increase from £86m to £125m.
The monarchy’s annual budget, known as the sovereign grant, is pegged against the profits from a national property portfolio called the crown estate.
The review of the royal funding settlement was heavily spun by the Treasury to give the impression that the king would be taking a pay cut so that crown estate funds could instead be spent on public services. » | David Pegg, Rob Evans and Severin Carrell | Thursday, July 20, 2023
King Charles will really be able to laugh all the way to the bank now! But so what! The King is surely worth every penny of this increase, for doesn’t he reign over a country which, after all, is the home of fair play, the Mecca of egalitarianism, the haven of equal opportunities, the birthplace of social justice? God save the King! Long may he reign over us. And of course, send him victorious, happy and glorious!
Forget about the pathetic state pensions, the lowest in Europe, forget about the people who cannot afford heating in winter, forget about the proliferating food banks and the army of homeless people sleeping rough. The King needs a rise. God save the King! – © Mark Alexander
The Guardian view on the king’s pay rise: there is no justification for handing over more millions: The latest deal between the Treasury and the palace shows why the cosy system created by David Cameron should be scrapped »
