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The King has “significantly increased” the number of engagements he is carrying out, a Treasury minister said as he outlined changes to royal funding.
Dan Tomlinson explained that Queen Elizabeth II was not carrying out a large number of foreign engagements or state visits towards the end of her reign, so expenditure on public duties has now increased.
His comments came as the House of Commons approved a motion designed to update the formula for funding the British monarchy after a review by the Royal Trustees.
The Sovereign Grant Bill was then tabled, legislation that will set the core annual funding for the Sovereign Grant at £99.9 million in 2027-28.
The Sovereign Grant is the annual funding to support the monarch’s official duties and the work of the Royal Household including staffing, official travel and the maintenance of occupied royal palaces.
This money comes as a percentage of the profits of the Crown Estate, a collection of lands and property in the UK that belongs to the reigning monarch, the rest of which goes to the Exchequer.
For the 10 years to 2027, there has been a temporary uplift to the grant to fund the Buckingham Palace reservicing programme.
With this work nearing completion, the overall Sovereign Grant will reduce from £137.9 million.
However, there has been a significant increase in the core funding to £99.9 million, up from £72.1 million in 2025-26 and £51.8 million in 2024-25.
The percentage of the Crown Estate’s net profits that go towards the Sovereign Grant will be around 20.5%, rather than 12%.
Treasury minister Mr Tomlinson said: “This recommendation was made based on an assessment of the Royal Household’s expected costs and the Crown Estate’s expected revenues between 2027 and 2032.
“The new level of the grant will ensure that the Royal Household can continue to deal with property maintenance backlogs following some years of constrained funding during the pandemic.
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