The royal family may stick to some surprisingly frugal daily habits, but that doesn’t mean they refrain from spending big from time to time. In June 2018, Buckingham Palace released their 2017 to 2018 annual financial statement, which revealed just how much each royal family member spent.
The family’s biggest spenders may surprise you. From Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, here’s how much each royal family member spent (including what they spent it on).
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip | Fiona Hanson/AFP/Getty Images
By attending 154 official engagements from 2017 to 2018, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip racked up a pretty penny. Their trips around the U.K. cost about $40,709, which included a stop at the Allam Medical Building in the University of Hull.
Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, stopped attending official engagements on Aug. 2, 2017, according to Insider. They also noted, “These royals aren’t just spending money — the queen pays taxes and has done so since 1992 after volunteering to pay.”
Prince Andrew
Elizabeth and Philip clearly passed down their spending habits. Their third child, Prince Andrew, traveled all around the world on official royal visits. From spots across the U.K. to Thailand, Singapore, and Hong Kong, he spent $87,392.19 of the royal family’s money.
Kate Middleton and Prince William
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge weren’t shy when spending their royal funds on travel from 2017 to 2018. The parents of three paid Poland and Germany an official visit, which racked up $81,292.79.
On another official visit, Kate Middleton and Prince William spent $64,714.85 on a chartered flight to Norway and Sweden.
Princess Anne
Even Elizabeth and Philip’s daughter, Princess Anne, spent quite a generous amount on travel expenses from 2017 to 2018. In addition to trips around the U.K., she visited Beijing, Hong Kong, Madagascar, Sierra Leone, and Ghana. In total, she spent $238, 354.72.
Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles
Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles | ABDELHAK SENNA/AFP/Getty Images)
Thanks to Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles’ excessive traveling habits, they were deemed the biggest royal spenders from 2017 to 2018. The couple spent a whopping $474,878.02 on trips to India, Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore. They traveled by the family’s private jet, named the RAF Voyager.
Charles is also a frequent passenger on the royal family’s train, which is the most expensive transportation option. From 2017 to 2018, Charles rode the train seven times, each one racking up $26,000.
In the wake of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria, Charles spent $54,734.52 on charitable trips. His destinations included Dominica, the British Virgin Islands, and Antigua and Barbuda.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry
As it turns out, Prince Charles didn’t just shell out serious cash for his own travels from 2017 to 2018. Thanks to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal wedding on May 19, 2018, his spending saw a 40 percent increase from the previous year. Bridebook reported an estimated $43 million had been shelled out by Charles and the royal family for the nuptials.
According to Insider, “Compared to the $4,627,500.06 spent the previous tax year, the $6,506,561.44 [Charles] spent this year coincides with the royal wedding.”
Although the official financial report didn’t explicitly state what had been spent on the royal wedding, the “other expenditure” group likely included their big day.
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