I think the taxpayer argument is overused and irrelevant a lot of times. Taxpayers pay for a lot of waste in government, you just don't see all of it. People usually pull out the 'we're paying for it' argument when they find something they don't like but don't have any other way to criticize it.
Its also partially inaccurate for the British monarchy in particular. The financial arrangements between the government and the House of Windsor are complex and go way back.
When George III was afflicted with porphyra, his family was concerned he would waste the great fortune that the Crown enjoyed at that time. They made a deal with the government that he would turn over his assets to the government in return for a royal allowance. The idea was in theory similar to giving someone power of attorney today when a person is mentally incapacitated (Alzheimers, etc.) The government received a large unexpected windfall as a result.
But financial recordkeeping being what it was at that time, no one really kept track of how the annual amount given to the royal family in the Civil List related to the original assets that the Royal Family turned over. So, in short, over 200 years later, its impossible to say whether the British taxpayers are footing the bill for the royal family or whether they still owe the Queen money.
Its a mess and I bet the Queen wishes her ancestors had kept watch a little better.
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