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Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
'Serious questions' over UK secret Afghan relocations: PM
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer attends a press conference during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa on October 26, 2024. PHOTO: REUTERS Ministers in the UK's last Conservative government have "serious questions to answer" over a secret resettlement plan for thousands of Afghans after a data breach endangered their lives, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Wednesday. Parliamentary Speaker Lindsay Hoyle said the affair raised significant constitutional issues" after it emerged that the previous government had obtained a court order banning media coverage and preventing any scrutiny by parliament. Thousands of Afghans who worked with the UK and their families have been brought to Britain under the programme following the leak. But the 2022 breach and the resettlement plan to protect those involved from potential repercussions only came to light on Tuesday after a court super-gag was lifted. Defence Minister John Healey told parliament a UK official had accidentally leaked a spreadsheet containing the names and details of almost 19,000 Afghans who had asked to be relocated to Britain. It happened in February 2022, just six months after Taliban fighters seized Kabul, he said. In parliament Wednesday, Starmer said his government supported the principle of fulfilling "our obligations to Afghans who served alongside British forces" in the post 9/11 conflict in the South Asian country. Healey had "set out the full extent of the failings that we inherited: a major data breach, a superinjunction, a secret route that has already cost hundreds of millions of pounds", he added.
Sky News AU
02-07-2025
- Business
- Sky News AU
The staggering cost of King Charles and Queen Camilla's Australia tour laid bare in new royal accounts - and what Aussies paid for
The British Royal Household has published its annual Sovereign Grant Report, confirming the enormous cost of King Charles and Queen Camilla's historic trip to Australia and Samoa- the monarch's first official Commonwealth tour since his accession. According to the figures released on Monday, Their Majesties' 11-day visit in October 2023 racked up an eye-watering £400,535 (about AU$837,750). The King and Queen travelled from London to Sydney on 17 October via charter flight, before continuing on to Samoa on 23 October to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and representatives from across the 56 nations. The pair returned home on 27 October via a scheduled air flight, with a stopover in Singapore. While the travel costs were split between the British and Australian governments, the report confirmed that UK taxpayer funds covered approximately 50 per cent of the overall bill. Australia, however, was not solely responsible for footing the cost of flights, as Their Majesties were continuing their journey beyond Sydney. The report notes that travel-related expenses across the royal family rose slightly over the past year, with 216 official journeys costing over £17,000, totalling £2.7 million (about AUD $5.6 million). Of these, helicopter travel emerged as the most expensive mode of transport, with 141 flights totalling £475,290 (about AUD $994,280). In a bid to modernise operations and reduce emissions, the Royal Household also received two new helicopters in February to replace 15-year-old aeroplanes. The report notes these upgrades "will help reduce reliance on expensive fixed wing travel and increase the Royal Household's ability to utilise Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)". Meanwhile, the report confirmed the end of the late Queen Elizabeth II's beloved Royal Train, which will be retired by 2027. Although it only cost £77,908 (around AUD $163,000) across two trips in the past year, decommissioning the train is expected to save approximately £1 million (AUD $2 million) annually. In total, the Sovereign Grant, the annual payment from the UK government to support official royal duties, remained steady at £86.3 million (approx. AUD $180 million), consistent with the previous three years. However, that figure is set to rise. The Royal Household's income is forecast to increase to £132 million (around AUD $275 million) annually for the next two financial years. Reflecting on the value of the monarchy's contribution, Keeper of the Privy Purse James Chalmers said: "Soft power is hard to measure but its value is. "I believe, now firmly understood at home and abroad, as the core themes of the new reign have come into even sharper focus, and the Royal Family have continued in their service to the nation, Realms and Commonwealth." Despite the health battles of both King Charles and the Princess of Wales, who each underwent treatment for undisclosed forms of cancer in 2024, the report revealed members of the Royal Family carried out more than 1,900 public engagements across the year. Even for the 76-year-old King, who is still receiving treatment, he and Queen Camilla undertook a total of 604 engagements, including 90 joint appearances. "For Their Majesties, this is an increase on 2023–24, reflecting His Majesty's return to public-facing duties," the report stated.
Belfast Telegraph
02-07-2025
- Belfast Telegraph
King Charles' visit to Northern Ireland in March cost £80k in travel expenses
It was the second most expensive trip made by the royal family in the past year. Other trips here, taken by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Edinburgh, cost an additional £40,000. There are 43 separate journeys by royal family members listed in the official report for 2024/25, where travel costs were at least £17,000, up from 27 trips in 2023/24. Some 13 of these involved the King, an increase from eight in the previous year. These included the most expensive trip during the period: the 11-day visit by Charles and the Queen to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa in October 2024, which included engagements in Australia and which had travel costs totalling £400,535. The King was also involved in the second most expensive trip on the list: the three-day visit with the Queen to Northern Ireland in March (£80,139). The couple were hosted by well-known publican Willie Jack in Belfast, enjoying a tipple of whiskey during their visit. Charles was also briefed on research into cancer therapies at the Ulster University campus in Coleraine, while Camilla took part in a cookery demonstration at a farm near Limavady with celebrity chef Paula McIntyre. The royal couple also enjoyed a stop-off in Banbridge on their final day. Their travel costs included a charter flight and use of a helicopter between Hillsborough, Limavady and Coleraine. Other NI visits included one by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester last September, which had a travel bill of £20,911. The pair visited the Ulster Folk Museum and attended the Northern Ireland Opera. The bill also took in a charter flight onwards to Manchester, where they attended a Davis Cup tennis tie. A third visit, this time by the Duke of Edinburgh, had £18,368 travel costs. Edward visited St Catherine's College in Armagh and a Duke of Edinburgh reception at Hillsborough Castle. Separately, a chartered flight for the Princess Royal, to attend the Scotland vs Ireland Six Nations match in February, cost £21,250. The newly published accounts reveal that a visit by the Prince of Wales to Estonia in March had travel costs of £55,846. This included two earlier journeys by staff for planning purposes. King Charles and Queen Camilla visit Banbridge A two-day trip by the King on the royal train in February to Staffordshire, to visit the JCB factory in Rocester and the Tower Brewery in Burton upon Trent, cost £44,822, while a two-day trip by the Duke of Edinburgh to Estonia in January to visit the Royal Dragoon Guards while on a military operation cost £39,791. Of the 13 trips involving the King that appear on the list, eight were undertaken with the Queen and five by himself. The King's other costs included a charter flight with the Queen between royal residences in April 2024 (£21,184), and a two-day trip on the royal train to Crewe in May 2024 (£33,147). A two-day visit with the Queen to northern France in June 2024 for the D-Day 80th anniversary commemorations cost £29,890), while a two-day visit with the Queen to the Channel Islands in July 2024 had travel costs of £28,872. Meanwhile, the King is bidding the 'fondest of farewells' to the royal train after approving its decommissioning following decades of service. Charles and other royals will rely on two new helicopters when the nine-carriage train's maintenance contract ends in early 2027, according to the accounts. James Chalmers, Keeper of the Privy Purse, described the move as an example of the royal household applying 'fiscal discipline' in its drive to deliver 'value for money'.
North Wales Chronicle
01-07-2025
- Business
- North Wales Chronicle
King and Queen's visit to Samoa tops list of most expensive royal trips
There are 43 separate journeys by royal family members listed in the official report for 2024/25 where travel costs were at least £17,000, up from 27 in 2023/24. Some 13 of these involved the King, an increase from eight in the previous year. These included the most expensive trip during the period, the 11-day visit by Charles and the Queen to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa in October 2024, which included engagements in Australia, and which had travel costs totalling £400,535. Charles is King of Australia and the country's government funded half of the flight costs during this major overseas trip. After attending the Commonwealth leaders' summit the King and Queen made a much reported trip to a luxury wellness retreat in Bengaluru in India, which was paid for privately. The King was also involved in the second most expensive trip on the list, a three-day visit with the Queen to Northern Ireland in March 2025 (£80,139). The third most expensive trip was a visit by the Prince of Wales to Estonia in March 2025, the cost of which included two earlier journeys by staff for planning purposes, and which added up to £55,846 in total. Completing the top five are a two-day trip by the King on the royal train in February 2025 to Staffordshire, to visit the JCB factory in Rocester and the Tower Brewery in Burton upon Trent, which cost £44,822; and a two-day trip by the Duke of Edinburgh to Estonia in January 2025 to visit the Royal Dragoon Guards while on a military operation, which cost £39,791. Of the 13 trips involving the King that appear on the list, eight were undertaken with the Queen and five by himself. In addition to the trips already mentioned, the King's other costs were: – A charter flight with the Queen between royal residences in April 2024 (£21,184); – A two-day trip on the royal train to Crewe in May 2024 (£33,147); – A two-day visit with the Queen to northern France in June 2024 for the D-Day 80th anniversary commemorations (£29,890); – A two-day visit with the Queen to the Channel Islands in July 2024 (£28,872); – A charter flight between royal residences in July 2024 (£22,529); – A charter flight with the Queen between royal residences in September 2024 (£20,113); – A second charter flight with the Queen between royal residences in September 2024 (£19,956); – A charter flight between royal residences in October 2024 (£20,619); – A one-day visit to Poland in January 2025 to attend events marking the 80th anniversary of the Holocaust, including a separate visit by staff in December 2024 for planning purposes (£30,232); – And a one-day visit by plane with the Queen to Middlesbrough in February 2025 (£18,394). There are no solo visits by the Queen on the list. Aside from the royal visits to Samoa/Australia, Estonia, Poland and northern France, the only other journeys outside the UK to feature on the list are: – A two-day trip by the Duchess of Edinburgh to Italy in May 2024 to attend military remembrance events (£32,380); – A one-day visit by the Prince of Wales to northern France in June 2024 as part of the D-Day commemorations (£25,696); – A two-day visit by the Princess Royal to the Netherlands in September 2024 for events commemorating the Second World War (£17,327); – A nine-day visit to Nepal by the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh in February 2025 (£26,028); – A three-day visit to Dresden by the Duke of Kent in February 2025 (£22,332); – And a return flight by the Princess Royal from a meeting of the International Olympics Committee in Kalamata in Greece in March 2025 (£21,440). Aside from the 13 trips on the list that involved either the King or the King and the Queen, 11 were undertaken by the Princess Royal; five by the Duke of Edinburgh; four by the Prince of Wales; three by the Duchess of Edinburgh; three by both the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh; two by the Duke of Kent; one by the Duchess of Gloucester; and one by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
Powys County Times
01-07-2025
- Powys County Times
King and Queen's visit to Samoa tops list of most expensive royal trips
The royal family made more foreign trips in the year to March 2025 than in the previous 12 months, with both the pace and range of engagements picking up after a period overshadowed by the King and the Princess of Wales spending time in hospital for cancer treatment. There are 43 separate journeys by royal family members listed in the official report for 2024/25 where travel costs were at least £17,000, up from 27 in 2023/24. Some 13 of these involved the King, an increase from eight in the previous year. These included the most expensive trip during the period, the 11-day visit by Charles and the Queen to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa in October 2024, which included engagements in Australia, and which had travel costs totalling £400,535. Charles is King of Australia and the country's government funded half of the flight costs during this major overseas trip. After attending the Commonwealth leaders' summit the King and Queen made a much reported trip to a luxury wellness retreat in Bengaluru in India, which was paid for privately. The King was also involved in the second most expensive trip on the list, a three-day visit with the Queen to Northern Ireland in March 2025 (£80,139). The third most expensive trip was a visit by the Prince of Wales to Estonia in March 2025, the cost of which included two earlier journeys by staff for planning purposes, and which added up to £55,846 in total. Completing the top five are a two-day trip by the King on the royal train in February 2025 to Staffordshire, to visit the JCB factory in Rocester and the Tower Brewery in Burton upon Trent, which cost £44,822; and a two-day trip by the Duke of Edinburgh to Estonia in January 2025 to visit the Royal Dragoon Guards while on a military operation, which cost £39,791. Of the 13 trips involving the King that appear on the list, eight were undertaken with the Queen and five by himself. In addition to the trips already mentioned, the King's other costs were: – A charter flight with the Queen between royal residences in April 2024 (£21,184); – A two-day trip on the royal train to Crewe in May 2024 (£33,147); – A two-day visit with the Queen to northern France in June 2024 for the D-Day 80th anniversary commemorations (£29,890); – A two-day visit with the Queen to the Channel Islands in July 2024 (£28,872); – A charter flight between royal residences in July 2024 (£22,529); – A charter flight with the Queen between royal residences in September 2024 (£20,113); – A second charter flight with the Queen between royal residences in September 2024 (£19,956); – A charter flight between royal residences in October 2024 (£20,619); – A one-day visit to Poland in January 2025 to attend events marking the 80th anniversary of the Holocaust, including a separate visit by staff in December 2024 for planning purposes (£30,232); – And a one-day visit by plane with the Queen to Middlesbrough in February 2025 (£18,394). There are no solo visits by the Queen on the list. Aside from the royal visits to Samoa/Australia, Estonia, Poland and northern France, the only other journeys outside the UK to feature on the list are: – A two-day trip by the Duchess of Edinburgh to Italy in May 2024 to attend military remembrance events (£32,380); – A one-day visit by the Prince of Wales to northern France in June 2024 as part of the D-Day commemorations (£25,696); – A two-day visit by the Princess Royal to the Netherlands in September 2024 for events commemorating the Second World War (£17,327); – A nine-day visit to Nepal by the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh in February 2025 (£26,028); – A three-day visit to Dresden by the Duke of Kent in February 2025 (£22,332); – And a return flight by the Princess Royal from a meeting of the International Olympics Committee in Kalamata in Greece in March 2025 (£21,440). Aside from the 13 trips on the list that involved either the King or the King and the Queen, 11 were undertaken by the Princess Royal; five by the Duke of Edinburgh; four by the Prince of Wales; three by the Duchess of Edinburgh; three by both the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh; two by the Duke of Kent; one by the Duchess of Gloucester; and one by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
