British royals’ public spending has gone up 5% in a year of historic change

By SYLVIA HUI
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Royal accounts show that a change in monarchs, double-digit inflation and ongoing costs of renovating Buckingham Palace contributed to a 5% increase in publicly funded spending by Britain’s royals. The palace’s annual Sovereign Grant report showed on Thursday that net spending was up 107.5 million pounds, about $135 million, in the past year. It says King Charles III was behind a “concerted effort” by royal staff to turn down the heating at Buckingham Palace and other royal homes during the winter to cut emissions and costs. The Sovereign Grant is public funding to support the official duties of the monarch and other costs such as staffing.