Queen agrees to £6m cut to annual civil list budget
EVEN the Queen felt the pain of yesterday’s cuts.
George Osborne said the Queen had “graciously” agreed to do her bit.
She has agreed to a freeze in the palace’s cash allowance, known as the Civil List and funded by the taxpayer, for a year. The bulk of the grant goes towards paying staff, with the rest spent on items like stationery, laundry and garden parties.
Osborne said: “Going forward, she has also agreed that total Royal Household spending will fall by 14 per cent, or £6m, in 2012-2013 while grants to the household will be frozen in cash terms.”
Buckingham Palace costs taxpayer £38m, a year, excluding security costs.
A palace spokesman said: “The household obviously has some challenging times ahead, like many areas of government.”
The monarch, under pressure to reduce costs, had already agreed to the £7.9m cost of the Civil List being frozen for 20 years from 1990. That arrangement expired this year.
In October Buckingham Palace announced it had scrapped its Christmas party after it was deemed inappropriate to celebrate while the economy was still recovering.