Latest news with #PrivyPurse
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
King Charles to Cut Costly Royal Train After $107,000 in Trips Over the Past Financial Year
King Charles III is making a modern change to a royal family tradition. The British monarch's new financial secretary announced on Tuesday, July 1, that the Royal Train is set to be decommissioned in 2027 after a series of needed renovations deemed the method of transformation to be cost ineffective. "The Royal Train has been part of national life for many decades, loved and cared for by all those involved. But in moving forwards, we must not be bound by the past,' James Chalmers, the Keeper of the Privy Purse, said in a statement. "Just as so many parts of the Royal household's work have been modernized and adapted to reflect the world of today, so too, the time has come to bid the fondest of farewells as we seek to be disciplined and forward looking in our allocation of funding." Chalmers noted that Charles, 76, signed off on the decision and explained that there will be discussions regarding 'a long-term home where some particularly historic elements' of the train will be displayed. The announcement came after The Firm released their financial report for 2024-2025. The report explained that the decision to decommission the train came after comparing 'the cost associated with the storage and maintenance of the Royal Train versus the level of usage.' There would also be a 'significant level of investment' to keep the train in operation. (The latest series of major improvements made on the train took place in 1980.) How Much Do the Royal Family Members Really Make? Breaking Down Prince William and More Salaries Maintenance for the train is already under contract until 2027 but will not be renewed. The royal family will continue to use the Royal Train until it is decommissioned. The late Queen Elizabeth II used the Royal Train as her preferred method of transportation until her death in 2022. Charles, meanwhile, has only taken a trip on the train twice this year — and it's been pretty costly. The trips combined cost an estimated £78,000 (which converts to about $107,000.) Instead of taking the Royal Train, family members will have an alternative in two new helicopters added to the fleet. While Charles only used the Royal Train twice in the past year, the royal family has traveled by helicopter 141 times and used 55 privately chartered flights, according to Tuesday's financial report. The report also noted that the royal family's cost of travel came in at £4.7 million (about $6.4 million), a near half a million jump from last year's report. However the total 2024–2025 Sovereign Grant stayed the same, coming in at £86.3 million (about $118 million). Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Spectator
02-07-2025
- Spectator
My memories of the royal train
It is the most civilised way to travel anywhere in the kingdom. Which is why I am so distraught that the King has cancelled it. This week His Majesty has agreed, reluctantly I can be sure, to decommission his royal train. The decision was announced by the Keeper of the Privy Purse, James Chalmers. Mr Chalmers brings to the Royal Household all the romance and lyricism you'd expect of a chartered accountant who spent 39 years at PwC, including time as something called a Global Assurance Leader. He justified the decision on the basis of the need for 'modernisation' and 'fiscal discipline'. This is not so much letting daylight in upon magic as strangling it with a spreadsheet. It is a tragedy. The most myopically mean-minded cost-cutting measure forced on a monarch since Regan and Goneril took away Lear's knights. I am biased, I admit. Partly because I know which side I would have been on at Marston Moor, standing with the first King Charles against the loathsomely drab utilitarians who would have denied that monarch the money needed for his ships. But also because I have travelled on the royal train and mourn its passing with the sadness of one who sees another cherishably special link with our past dismantled by the un-holy alliance of the lanyard class and Treasury brainiacs. The royal train itself is very far from the last word in luxury. Defiantly unmodernised, its decor owes more to Seventies Ventnor than Silicon Valley. It is like the royal family – understated, comfortable, traditional, gently hierarchical and thoroughly reliable. I travelled on the royal train in March 2018, as environment secretary, accompanying the Prince of Wales (as he then was) on a visit to mark Unesco designating the Lake District a world heritage site. We boarded the train at dusk at a wayside halt in Bucks before it made its way to Kemble in Gloucestershire to pick up HRH. Dinner in the mess with the Prince's private secretary and protection team was basic but delicious – steak and chips cooked in a galley unchanged since Harold Wilson's day. My berth for the night was fitted out like an Aberdeenshire B&B from my childhood. A narrow single bed with reassuringly itchy sheets and blankets, framed prints of non-descript highland landscapes, a Roberts radio and blinky electric strip lighting. The one undeniable luxury was the ensuite bathroom – no other train in Britain allows you to soak in Radox suds. But even that indulgence was reassuringly retro. The bath itself was the sort of pastel pink plastic that takes you back decades – to a time when the only essential oil was diesel. There was a protocol to arrangements on the train. The late Queen, Prince Philip and the Prince of Wales each had their own dedicated carriage. Other travellers would be allocated their size of berth depending on their place in the Palace pecking order. Members of the royal family would entertain guests in a compact drawing room occupying a section of a carriage fixed between their accommodation and the rest of the travelling entourage. I was invited there to join HRH for a nightcap (Laphroaig) before we retired and breakfast (a minimalist fruit salad that even a dieting catwalk model would consider frugal) the next morning. Concerned that such a meal would not set me up for the day ahead, the police officers travelling with us insisted I have a 'big boys' breakfast' with them in the mess beforehand. I think the sausages may have been Wall's rather than Highgrove organic, but they were appropriately fortifying. The royal train runs to its own timetable, and is never more than a few seconds early or late, a novel experience for an MP who had to rely on South Western Railway to travel to and from his constituency. I've no idea if the crew were Aslef or RMT, but now that these professionals with their curious habit of punctuality are being made redundant perhaps they could replace the current management of Network Rail. As we rolled into Langwathby station, on the breathtakingly picturesque Settle to Carlisle line, the impression created by the royal train's arrival was vivid on the delighted faces of the gathered schoolchildren and curious residents. It was as though the Hogwarts Express had materialised through the drizzle: stately, traditional and wreathed in mystique. Dull would he be of soul who wasn't taken by the appearance of living history on platforms where only inter-city 'sprinters' normally draw in. But now the royal train – environmentally friendly, a clockwork-perfect piece of British engineering heritage from our manufacturing past, affordable even when the state took less than 10 per cent of GDP and Gladstone was taking his axe to government excess – is to be scrapped. It will save less than Ed Miliband's department spends annually on air fares. As Philip Larkin put it, when another round of cost-cutting left a lesser Britain:
Daily Mirror
01-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
Have your say on whether the royal family is costing the taxpayer too much
After the annual royals' accounts revealed expenditure of £2.7million last year on travel by private jet, helicopters and rail, we want to know whether you think the family cost the taxpayer too much The annual royal accounts have revealed that the family have spent a total of £2.7million last year on travel by private jet, helicopters and rail. One trip by the King and Queen to Australia and Samoa last October cost a staggering £400,000. Following the accounts being published, it was announced that King Charles would be axing the late Queen's beloved Royal Train after decades of service in an attempt to save cash. New figures found that the nine-carriage locomotive was only in action twice in the last year but cost £78,000. As the Royal Train is scrapped, accounts show Charles and the many of the royal family will rely on two new helicopters to get around. Palace aides stressed trains and other transport will be used, however, Charles arrived in Scotland this Wednesday by helicopter. If you can't see the poll, click here. James Chalmers, Keeper of the Privy Purse, said axing the Royal Train was an example of the royal family applying "fiscal discipline" in its drive to deliver "value for money". Mr Chalmers said: "The royal train, of course, has been part of national life for many decades, loved and cared for by all those involved. But in moving forward we must not be bound by the past. "Just as so many parts of the royal household's work have been modernised and adapted to reflect the world of today, so too, the time has come to bid the fondest of farewells, as we seek to be disciplined and forward in our allocation of funding. With His Majesty's support it has therefore been decided that the process to decommission the royal train will commence next year." The Sovereign Grant, which pays for the royal family's official duties and the upkeep of royal palaces, is met from public funds in exchange for the King's surrender of the revenue from the Crown Estate. The royals then in return get 12 per cent of this revenue back to run their affairs including travel, engagements at home and abroad and welcoming tens of thousands of people to the royal palaces. For the accounts last year, the royals cost the taxpayer £86.3 million for a fourth consecutive year. But record offshore wind farm profits have seen the Crown Estate net profits for the last financial year and hit £1.1 billion - meaning a record breaking Sovereign Grant of £132million will be handed out next year and the year after. Aides say the extra cash will go towards paying for the £369million refit of Buckingham Palace and the upkeep of other royal residences. Writing for the Mirror, Norman Baker slammed the royals, saying: "Buckingham Palace pretends the royals are prudent with our money – it's utter hogwash. Another year, another multimillion-pound splurge on one of the richest families in the country. Get Royal Family updates straight to your WhatsApp! As the royals get back to their normal duties after a difficult year, the Mirror has launched its very own Royal WhatsApp community where you'll get all the latest news on the UK's most famous family. We'll send you the latest breaking updates and exclusives all directly to your phone. Users must download or already have WhatsApp on their phones to join in. All you have to do to join is click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! We may also send you stories from other titles across the Reach group. We will also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. "Buckingham Palace pretends the royals are being prudent with public money. What utter hogwash. They even have the cheek to suggest that Charles is being generous because he only takes 12% of the income of the Crown Estate. "Reality check: the Crown Estate has in effect been a public body since 1760, and until 2011, 100% of its profits went to the Treasury to pay for schools, hospitals, defence and, yes, disability benefits. This 12% is a new royal tax on the public purse."
eNCA
01-07-2025
- Business
- eNCA
End of the line for Britain's royal train
LONDON - King Charles III is to end the British monarchy's use of a royal train for the first time since the Victorian era in the 19th century, as part of cost-cutting and modernisation plans. As part of the royal family's annual finances revealed late on Monday, the king's treasurer announced he had approved the use of two helicopters to ferry the royal household and decommission the train due to high costs. The process to bring the nine-carriage train to a halt will begin next year, according to the monarch's financial report. James Chalmers, who as the Keeper of the Privy Purse is the king's treasurer, described the move as an example of the royal household applying "fiscal discipline". The Sovereign Grant, which pays for royal duties and upkeep of palaces, remained at £86.3-million in the financial year ending in March 2025. Next year the grant will rise to £132-million. The king bid the "fondest of farewells" to the train, which includes a carriage created especially for him in the 1980s. "The royal train, of course, has been part of national life for many decades, loved and cared for by all those involved," said Chalmers. "Just as so many parts of the royal household's work have been modernised and adapted to reflect the world of today, so too, the time has come to bid the fondest of farewells, as we seek to be disciplined and forward-looking in our allocation of funding," he added. The report comes at the end of a fiscal year in which Charles returned to royal duties after being diagnosed with cancer, for which he is still receiving treatment. The king "demonstrated remarkable resilience by undertaking a wide programme of public and state duties at home and overseas while continuing to receive treatment," said Chalmers, commending his "resilience".
Daily Mirror
01-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
King Charles cancer update as key aide gives insight into monarch's 'resilience'
During a rundown of royal finances, one of the King's key aides revealed how the monarch is tackling his royal duties as he continues his cancer treatment The King has shown"remarkable resilience" as he carried on with royal engagement despite still receiving cancer treatment, according to one of his key aides. James Chalmers, the monarch's new Keeper of the Privy Purse who is in charge of royal finances, said at the annual Sovereign Grant briefing that Charles's approach illustrated his "personal commitment to duty". The rundown of royal finances - from April 1 2024 to March 31 2025 - covers the months following the King and the Princess of Wales's double cancer diagnosis and the majority of 2024 - the year described by the Prince of Wales as "brutal" and probably the hardest of his life. Charles made a rapid return to public-facing duties in April, while Kate made a more gradual one after revealing in September she had finished her chemotherapy treatment, and later confirmed at the start of 2025 that she was cancer-free. Mr Chalmers said: "This year has, of course, seen something of a 'return to normal business' after the health challenges faced by members of the family in the previous fiscal year. "Indeed, by happenstance, the period to which this Sovereign Grant Report relates correlates almost exactly with His Majesty's return to public-facing duties, in April of 2024. "In the subsequent months, the King demonstrated remarkable resilience by undertaking a wide programme of public and state duties at home and overseas while continuing to receive treatment, demonstrating not only His Majesty's personal commitment to duty but also the adaptability and resilience of the Royal Household in ensuring continuity of service, no matter the personal circumstances." Mr Chalmers said the King and the princess's return to public duties had been met with widespread public support "reflecting the profound connection the royal family maintains with people across the country and indeed the world". "No metric can fully capture the scale of this connection," he added, noting that the royal websites had seen a record 4.2 million new visitors, and the royal family's accounts had almost 400 million views of video content across its digital communications platforms and 1.3 billion impressions generated from its social media content. It comes as it was also revealed that the King is to axe the late Queen Elizabeth's beloved Royal Train after decades of service in an attempt to save cash towards the multimillion refit of Buckingham Palace. The locomotive steam train, comprising nine claret liveried sleeper, dining and lounge carriages, was the Queen's favourite mode of transport throughout her reign. The current train came into service for the late monarch's Silver Jubilee in 1977, pulled by one of two locomotives which use eco-conscious biofuel made from vegetable oil waste. Spiralling costs of the ageing fleet - including two trips last year which cost a combined £78,000 - has led King Charles to bid the "fondest of farewells" after approving its decommissioning for next year. The royals spent a total of £2.7million last year on travel by private jet, helicopters and rail, according to the annual royal accounts. One trip by the King and Queen to Australia and Samoa last October cost a staggering £400,000. As the royal train reaches the end of the line, ahead of the exorbitant maintenance contract ending in early 2027, accounts show Charles and other members of the royal family will rely on two new helicopters to get around - although palace aides stressed trains and other transport will be used. The Sovereign Grant, which pays for the royal family's official duties and the upkeep of royal palaces, is met from public funds in exchange for the King's surrender of the revenue from the Crown Estate, in exchange for 12 per cent back to run their affairs including travel, engagements at home and abroad and welcoming tens of thousands of people to the royal palaces. For the accounts last year, the royals cost the taxpayer £86.3 million for a fourth consecutive year. But record offshore wind farm profits have seen the Crown Estate net profits for the last financial year have again hit £1.1 billion - meaning a record-breaking Sovereign Grant of £132million will be handed out next year and the year after. Palace aides say the extra cash will go towards paying for the £369million refit of Buckingham Palace and the upkeep of other royal residences.
