Royals & Nobles and Wealth, Costs and Finances

[ElisaR]

It's also important to point out that the most of these millions are "made" of the two private estates (Balmoral and Sandringham): she has not very much money.

 

[Monalisa]

BELGIUM :


As provided by Article 77 of the Constitution and according to the law of November 16, 1993, the Civil List for the entire reign of H.M. King Albert II was established (subject to adjustments linked to the consumer price index), as well as a lifetime annuity for H.M. Dowager Queen Fabiola and an annual allowance for H.R.H. Prince Philippe.

The Civil List covers all personal expenses as well as clerical, administrative, office, staff and maintenance of royal palaces and official residences, travel, and entertainment. Security expenses are borne by the government.

Initial figures for 1996 budget are:

The King's Civil List 253,900,000 BEF
Queen Fabiola's annuity 46,900,000 BEF
Prince Philippe 13,900,000 BEF
Royal Family, other allowances 14,800,000 BEF

Total 329,500,000 Belgian Francs
(US$9,852,050)
(1972 survey: $1,485,220)

By contrast, the 1996 Budget allocations for the Prime Minister's Office total 116,000,000 BEF (other ministers receive separate allocations), and for the Belgian Parliament a total of 5,383,500,000 BEF.

Source: letter from Piettre Emmanuel De Bauw, Second Secretary, Belgian Embassy, July 29, 1996; Notice sur la Liste Civile du Roi. Letter from Vincent Pardoen, Intendant of the King's Civil List, September 3rd, 1996. Ministry of Finance Budget of November 24, 1995, as published in the Moniteur Belge, December 30, 1995, Federal Information Service, Brussels.


more informations here:http://members.tripod.com/constantan/expense.html

 

[Monalisa]

SPAIN :


Total allotment of 924 million pesetas; no amounts allocated directly to other members of the Royal Family. Under Article 65 of the Constitution, this amount is meant to provide for the Family and Household of the monarch.

Total 924,000,000 pesetas
(US$6,837,600)

Maintenance of palaces: by Patrimonio Nacional

Expenses of state visits abroad: covered by budget of Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Source: Chief of Press Relations, Zarzuela, letter of 21 April 1996.

 

[Monalisa]

She was never included on the Civil List

I found that in the website posted below:


UNITED KINGDOM :

The cost of the British monarchy has been the subject of the most intense public discussion and speculation, as well as the most widespread misinformation. This is a complex subject, as nearly every aspect of the "cost" of the British monarchy is rooted in centuries of historical usage, tradition, and sometimes arcane bureaucratic processes. Calculation of costs is further complicated by the fact that "the British monarchy" itself is sometimes delineated with difficulty, and one must constantly define "cost," "British," and "monarchy.". It may be argued that more than any other monarchy, it is more than the sum of its parts. The British monarchy is an integral, and large, institution of national society and identity. The monarch, other members of the Royal Family, the various Palaces and historic buildings, the Crown Jewels, gilt coaches, and other trappings, are icons of the United Kingdom, instantly and universally identifiable.

The monarchy derives its financial support from three basic sources, the Civil List, the Grant-in-Aid, and the Privy Purse, with additional funds voted by Government departments.

The Civil List: "The Civil List is the fixed annual sum provided by Parliament to meet the official expenses incurred by The Queen's Household so that Her Majesty can fulfill her role as Head of State. The Civil List is not in any sense remuneration or ‘pay' for The Queen. It is provided to meet those expenses necessarily incurred to enable The Queen to undertake her many public engagements and duties in [the United Kingdom] and abroad." Some 70% of the Civil List goes to salaries of personnel who work directly for The Queen; non-staff expenses include social functions (some 40,000 people are entertained by The Queen annually) and office expenses at Buckingham Palace. The amount of the Civil List is set by Parliament, and paid by the Government.

Under the current system, effective since 1991, Parliament sets a fixed annual amount for the Civil List for a ten-year period. "The fixed annual amount would exceed expenditures during the first part of the ten-year period, enabling reserves to be established to meet deficits toward the end of the period when, as a result of inflation, expenditures would be expected to exceed the fixed amount." The Civil List was set at £7.9 million to be paid annually for the ten-year period commencing January 1st, 1991, with an annual increase of approximately 6.5% to cover inflation.

Civil List expenditures for 1990, the latest year for which final figures are available, were £5,060,000. Surpluses are carried over from year to year as reserves; any surplus at the end of the current ten-year period will be applied to offset expenses of the Civil List in the following period.

Civil List for 1996 £7,900,000

The Grant-in-Aid is the funds provided by the Department of National Heritage for property services in the Royal or Occupied Palaces (Buckingham Palace, St. James's palace, Clarence House, Marlborough House Mews, Kensington Palace, Windsor Castle, Frogmore House, Hampton Court Mews and Paddocks; in total, some 100 buildings, 6,000 rooms, and 20 acres of roofs. (The Palace of Holyroodhouse is the responsibility of Historic Scotland; the Historic Royal Palaces or Unoccupied Palaces, including the Tower of London and Hampton Court, are looked after by the Historic Royal Palace Agency.)

The Occupied Palaces are used for Head of State and ceremonial purposes, and as official residences by The Queen, other members of the Royal Family, and employees. They also provide offices and workshops for staff and craftsmen. Approximately 75% of the funds are spent on property maintenance, and 25% on utilities, security, fire safety, craftsmen, cleaning, and gardening. "The Occupied Palaces are an important part of the national heritage and the largest part of the Grant-in-Aid is spent on their maintenance and conservation." The properties covered by the Grant-in-Aid are largely in the nature of museums, historic buildings, and monuments. The Grant-in-Aid does not apply to such properties as Sandringham or Balmoral, which are the property of The Queen personally.

Grant-in-Aid, 1994-95 £20,541,000

In 1991, the Royal Household assumed responsibility for property services in the Occupied Palaces, and considerable savings have been achieved. "The Royal Household plans to reduce the annual amount of the Grant-in-Aid to£15 million by the end of the decade. If this is achieved more than £70 million will have been saved, in real terms, since the Royal Household assumed responsibility..."

The Privy Purse derives its funding from the Duchy of Lancaster, income from Privy Purse retained reserves, and payments from the Sandringham Estate. Duchy of Lancaster net surplus for the year ended September, 1994 amounted to £3.9 million. "The funds received by the Privy Purse... [are] used to meet official expenditure incurred by The Queen as Sovereign which has not historically been charged to the Civil List, as well as some of The Queen's private expenditure." Such official expenditure includes providing for official expenses of other members of the Royal Family, pensions and welfare for official staff, and official costs incurred by the Royal Household when The Queen is in residence at Balmoral and Sandringham.

"Since 1399 [the landed estate known as the Duchy of Lancaster] passed to each reigning Monarch, with the Duchy revenue providing a source of income separate from other Crown inheritances." The Duchy estate is divided into surveys for management purposes:

- Crewe Survey, comprising 5,050 acres in Cheshire, Shropshire and Derbyshire

- Lancashire Survey, comprising 11,750 acres in the Fylde and in the Forest of Bowland

- Needwood Estate, 7,540 acres in Staffordshire

- Yorkshire Survey, comprising approximately 19,980 acres between Pickering and Scarborough

- South Survey, comprising approximately 6,450 acres in Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire

The Duchy also owns commercial properties in London and elsewhere, and other investments.

The Prince of Wales, as Heir to the Throne, receives no funds under the Civil List Acts, but, under an arrangement dating back seven centuries, receives the annual net revenues of the Duchy of Cornwall (he is 24th Duke of Cornwall, as Heir to the Throne; the title of Prince of Wales is not automatically conferred on the Heir) for the costs of all public and private commitments. Although these revenues of the Duchy are tax exempt, the Prince has voluntarily given up 25% of this income to the Exchequer. In 1993, at the same time as The Queen volunteered to pay income tax on her private income, the Prince of Wales volunteered to pay income tax on his Duchy income.

The Duchy currently owns approximately 130,000 acres of land in 23 counties. In 1994, the Prince of Wales received £4.5 million before tax from the Duchy of Cornwall.

Other Members of the Royal Family
Other members of the Royal Family have been paid Parliamentary Annuities from Government funds to meet official expenses incurred in carrying out public duties, under the Civil List Acts. Under the 1990 financial arrangements, the following annuities were set for the decade 1991-2000, with an annual increase of approximately 7.5% to cover inflation:

H.M. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother £643,000
H.R.H. The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh £359,000
H.R.H. The Duke of York £249,000
H.R.H. The Prince Edward £96,000
H.R.H. The Princess Royal £228,000
H.R.H. The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon £219,000
H.R.H. Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester £87,000
H.R.H. The Duke of Gloucester £175,000
H.R.H. The Duke of Kent £236,000
H.R.H. Princess Alexandra, the Honourable Lady Ogilvy £225,000

Since 1975, The Queen has reimbursed the Government for the annuities paid to her cousins, the Duke of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent, and Princess Alexandra. It was announced in late 1992 that, effective April 1993, The Queen would also reimburse the annuities for all other members of the Royal Family, except for H.M. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and the Duke of Edinburgh. H.M. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and the Duke of Edinburgh are now "the only members of the Royal Family other than The Queen in receipt of money from public funds which is not repaid."

The Prince of Wales receives no public funds. Diana, Princess of Wales and Sarah, Duchess of York received no public funds before or after their respective divorces.

Accordingly, the only public funds allocated to members of the Royal Family other than The Queen, which are not reimbursed by The Queen, are:

H.M. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, widow of H.M. King George VI £643,000
H.R.H. The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, consort of the present Monarch £359,000

 

[Monalisa]

UNITED KINGDOM (next)more details:



The Duchy currently owns approximately 130,000 acres of land in 23 counties. In 1994, the Prince of Wales received £4.5 million before tax from the Duchy of Cornwall.

Other Members of the Royal Family
Other members of the Royal Family have been paid Parliamentary Annuities from Government funds to meet official expenses incurred in carrying out public duties, under the Civil List Acts. Under the 1990 financial arrangements, the following annuities were set for the decade 1991-2000, with an annual increase of approximately 7.5% to cover inflation:

H.M. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother £643,000
H.R.H. The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh £359,000
H.R.H. The Duke of York £249,000
H.R.H. The Prince Edward £96,000
H.R.H. The Princess Royal £228,000
H.R.H. The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon £219,000
H.R.H. Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester £87,000
H.R.H. The Duke of Gloucester £175,000
H.R.H. The Duke of Kent £236,000
H.R.H. Princess Alexandra, the Honourable Lady Ogilvy £225,000


Since 1975, The Queen has reimbursed the Government for the annuities paid to her cousins, the Duke of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent, and Princess Alexandra. It was announced in late 1992 that, effective April 1993, The Queen would also reimburse the annuities for all other members of the Royal Family, except for H.M. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and the Duke of Edinburgh. H.M. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and the Duke of Edinburgh are now "the only members of the Royal Family other than The Queen in receipt of money from public funds which is not repaid."

The Prince of Wales receives no public funds. Diana, Princess of Wales and Sarah, Duchess of York received no public funds before or after their respective divorces.

Accordingly, the only public funds allocated to members of the Royal Family other than The Queen, which are not reimbursed by The Queen, are:

H.M. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, widow of H.M. King George VI £643,000
H.R.H. The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, consort of the present Monarch £359,000

Other Expenses
"In addition to the Civil List and the Grant-in-Aid there are a number of other items of expenditure connected with the public activities of the Royal Family which fall on votes of Government departments," the main items being the Royal Train, No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron, and the Royal Yacht.

The Royal Train: "The Royal train makes efficient use of traveling time by allowing travel overnight. This not only increases the time available for public engagements... but by serving in effect as a mobile hotel for Members of the Royal Family and their staff, the Royal Train minimizes disruption to the general public and saves security costs."

No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron: No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron (formerly The Queen's Flight) is operated by the Royal Air Force, and consists of eleven aircraft and six helicopters, with personnel of 101. The Queen, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Prince of Wales are entitled to use it, and other members of the Royal Family at The Queen's discretion, as well as ministers, senior service officers, and occasionally by visiting foreign heads of state. "Use of The Queen's Flight enhances safety and security as well as minimizing disruption and inconvenience to other passengers on a civil flight," although The Queen has recently used commercial aircraft on overseas travel, and other members of the Royal Family frequently use commercial aircraft on international travel.

H.M.Y. Britannia: Commissioned in 1954, the Britannia "has provided a high profile, prestigious base for Royal tours both in home waters and overseas, [and] provides not only reception rooms for up to 250 guests but includes office space and accommodation for staff... In recent years Britannia has been used for seminars to promote British trade and technology overseas, often in conjunction with Royal visits." Britannia is to be decommissioned in late 1997; it was announced in January, 1997 that Parliament would allocate funds for the construction of a new royal yacht, with furnishings to be provided by The Queen. The new yacht is to enter into service in 2002, in time for the Queen's Golden Jubilee.

Other expenses borne on votes of Government departments on services connected with the Royal Family include the following; figures shown are the amounts for 1994-95, the latest ones available to us:

- Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps) £63,061
- Foreign and Commonwealth Office (overseas visits at the request of Government departments) £558,268
- Department of Transport (official travel by train and maintenance of Royal Train) £2,469,000
- Treasury (Central Chancery of Orders of Knighthood) £201,000
- Ministry of Defence (Royal Yacht) £11,424,000
- Ministry of Defence (No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron) £8,960,445
- Ministry of Defence (Royal flights in civil aircraft) £160,000
- Ministry of Defence (Equerries) £224,000
- Central Office of Information (publicity services) amount not available; £308,104 for 1993-94
Many of the Palaces and other properties involved in these expenditures are considered to be major tourist attractions, some are open to the public, most serve public or official functions, some provide residential units for staff, and many are considered to be important parts of the national heritage. Other expenses are collateral to the monarchy, for example in providing for the ceremonial occasions which have become a hallmark of British culture.

It should be noted particularly that the Civil List dates back to the Restoration, at which time an annual grant was made to The King which, in effect, was a Parliamentary contribution to help cover "expenses of Civil Government," including the judiciary and foreign service. "This system was changed in 1760 on George III's Accession, when it was decided that the whole of the cost of the Civil List should be provided by Parliament in return for the surrender of the hereditary revenues [(the Crown Estate)] by the King for the duration of the reign. This arrangement, whereby at the beginning of each reign the Sovereign agrees to continue the surrender of the hereditary revenues [£88.4 million in 1994] in return for the receipt of an annual Civil List, has continued to this day." The present system is for the annual amount of the Civil List to be fixed every ten years; it will thus be considered again in the year 2000.

Thus, if the revenues from the Crown Estate had not been surrendered to the Government at the start of the present Queen's reign in 1952, she would have received £88,400,000 in 1994. Instead, the total of the figures cited above (including even those which, in fairness, should not be attributed entirely as costs of the monarchy, such as No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron, which is not used exclusively by the Royal Family) is £53,810,878. Not all of the figures cited above apply to precisely the same time periods, but they are close, and show that revenues from the Crown Estate contribute about £30,000,000 more to Government coffers than the sums which are paid out in support of the monarchy.

Total £53,810,878

 

[sara1981]

I found that in the website posted below:


UNITED KINGDOM :

The cost of the British monarchy has been the subject of the most intense public discussion and speculation, as well as the most widespread misinformation. This is a complex subject, as nearly every aspect of the "cost" of the British monarchy is rooted in centuries of historical usage, tradition, and sometimes arcane bureaucratic processes. Calculation of costs is further complicated by the fact that "the British monarchy" itself is sometimes delineated with difficulty, and one must constantly define "cost," "British," and "monarchy.". It may be argued that more than any other monarchy, it is more than the sum of its parts. The British monarchy is an integral, and large, institution of national society and identity. The monarch, other members of the Royal Family, the various Palaces and historic buildings, the Crown Jewels, gilt coaches, and other trappings, are icons of the United Kingdom, instantly and universally identifiable.

The monarchy derives its financial support from three basic sources, the Civil List, the Grant-in-Aid, and the Privy Purse, with additional funds voted by Government departments.

The Civil List: "The Civil List is the fixed annual sum provided by Parliament to meet the official expenses incurred by The Queen's Household so that Her Majesty can fulfill her role as Head of State. The Civil List is not in any sense remuneration or ‘pay' for The Queen. It is provided to meet those expenses necessarily incurred to enable The Queen to undertake her many public engagements and duties in [the United Kingdom] and abroad." Some 70% of the Civil List goes to salaries of personnel who work directly for The Queen; non-staff expenses include social functions (some 40,000 people are entertained by The Queen annually) and office expenses at Buckingham Palace. The amount of the Civil List is set by Parliament, and paid by the Government.

Under the current system, effective since 1991, Parliament sets a fixed annual amount for the Civil List for a ten-year period. "The fixed annual amount would exceed expenditures during the first part of the ten-year period, enabling reserves to be established to meet deficits toward the end of the period when, as a result of inflation, expenditures would be expected to exceed the fixed amount." The Civil List was set at £7.9 million to be paid annually for the ten-year period commencing January 1st, 1991, with an annual increase of approximately 6.5% to cover inflation.

Civil List expenditures for 1990, the latest year for which final figures are available, were £5,060,000. Surpluses are carried over from year to year as reserves; any surplus at the end of the current ten-year period will be applied to offset expenses of the Civil List in the following period.

Civil List for 1996 £7,900,000

The Grant-in-Aid is the funds provided by the Department of National Heritage for property services in the Royal or Occupied Palaces (Buckingham Palace, St. James's palace, Clarence House, Marlborough House Mews, Kensington Palace, Windsor Castle, Frogmore House, Hampton Court Mews and Paddocks; in total, some 100 buildings, 6,000 rooms, and 20 acres of roofs. (The Palace of Holyroodhouse is the responsibility of Historic Scotland; the Historic Royal Palaces or Unoccupied Palaces, including the Tower of London and Hampton Court, are looked after by the Historic Royal Palace Agency.)

The Occupied Palaces are used for Head of State and ceremonial purposes, and as official residences by The Queen, other members of the Royal Family, and employees. They also provide offices and workshops for staff and craftsmen. Approximately 75% of the funds are spent on property maintenance, and 25% on utilities, security, fire safety, craftsmen, cleaning, and gardening. "The Occupied Palaces are an important part of the national heritage and the largest part of the Grant-in-Aid is spent on their maintenance and conservation." The properties covered by the Grant-in-Aid are largely in the nature of museums, historic buildings, and monuments. The Grant-in-Aid does not apply to such properties as Sandringham or Balmoral, which are the property of The Queen personally.

Grant-in-Aid, 1994-95 £20,541,000

In 1991, the Royal Household assumed responsibility for property services in the Occupied Palaces, and considerable savings have been achieved. "The Royal Household plans to reduce the annual amount of the Grant-in-Aid to£15 million by the end of the decade. If this is achieved more than £70 million will have been saved, in real terms, since the Royal Household assumed responsibility..."

The Privy Purse derives its funding from the Duchy of Lancaster, income from Privy Purse retained reserves, and payments from the Sandringham Estate. Duchy of Lancaster net surplus for the year ended September, 1994 amounted to £3.9 million. "The funds received by the Privy Purse... [are] used to meet official expenditure incurred by The Queen as Sovereign which has not historically been charged to the Civil List, as well as some of The Queen's private expenditure." Such official expenditure includes providing for official expenses of other members of the Royal Family, pensions and welfare for official staff, and official costs incurred by the Royal Household when The Queen is in residence at Balmoral and Sandringham.

"Since 1399 [the landed estate known as the Duchy of Lancaster] passed to each reigning Monarch, with the Duchy revenue providing a source of income separate from other Crown inheritances." The Duchy estate is divided into surveys for management purposes:

- Crewe Survey, comprising 5,050 acres in Cheshire, Shropshire and Derbyshire

- Lancashire Survey, comprising 11,750 acres in the Fylde and in the Forest of Bowland

- Needwood Estate, 7,540 acres in Staffordshire

- Yorkshire Survey, comprising approximately 19,980 acres between Pickering and Scarborough

- South Survey, comprising approximately 6,450 acres in Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire

The Duchy also owns commercial properties in London and elsewhere, and other investments.

The Prince of Wales, as Heir to the Throne, receives no funds under the Civil List Acts, but, under an arrangement dating back seven centuries, receives the annual net revenues of the Duchy of Cornwall (he is 24th Duke of Cornwall, as Heir to the Throne; the title of Prince of Wales is not automatically conferred on the Heir) for the costs of all public and private commitments. Although these revenues of the Duchy are tax exempt, the Prince has voluntarily given up 25% of this income to the Exchequer. In 1993, at the same time as The Queen volunteered to pay income tax on her private income, the Prince of Wales volunteered to pay income tax on his Duchy income.

The Duchy currently owns approximately 130,000 acres of land in 23 counties. In 1994, the Prince of Wales received £4.5 million before tax from the Duchy of Cornwall.

Other Members of the Royal Family
Other members of the Royal Family have been paid Parliamentary Annuities from Government funds to meet official expenses incurred in carrying out public duties, under the Civil List Acts. Under the 1990 financial arrangements, the following annuities were set for the decade 1991-2000, with an annual increase of approximately 7.5% to cover inflation:

H.M. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother £643,000
H.R.H. The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh £359,000
H.R.H. The Duke of York £249,000
H.R.H. The Prince Edward £96,000
H.R.H. The Princess Royal £228,000
H.R.H. The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon £219,000
H.R.H. Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester £87,000
H.R.H. The Duke of Gloucester £175,000
H.R.H. The Duke of Kent £236,000
H.R.H. Princess Alexandra, the Honourable Lady Ogilvy £225,000

Since 1975, The Queen has reimbursed the Government for the annuities paid to her cousins, the Duke of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent, and Princess Alexandra. It was announced in late 1992 that, effective April 1993, The Queen would also reimburse the annuities for all other members of the Royal Family, except for H.M. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and the Duke of Edinburgh. H.M. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and the Duke of Edinburgh are now "the only members of the Royal Family other than The Queen in receipt of money from public funds which is not repaid."

The Prince of Wales receives no public funds. Diana, Princess of Wales and Sarah, Duchess of York received no public funds before or after their respective divorces.

Accordingly, the only public funds allocated to members of the Royal Family other than The Queen, which are not reimbursed by The Queen, are:

H.M. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, widow of H.M. King George VI £643,000
H.R.H. The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, consort of the present Monarch £359,000

I understand why late Diana,Princess of Wales and Sarah,Duchess of York cant getting public funds from Prince of Wales because i understand why! Princess Diana got divorces from Prince Charles in 1996 but Diana still work lots before she died in 1997.

if Diana would funds herself after divorces? and Sarah,Duchess of York also? but i little confuses with posts!

Sara Boyce

 

[semisquare]

does anyone think that the cost of having a royal family out ways the money they can bring in? case in point is the brit's royal family-i've read it somewhere they bring in a lot of money because people are willing to travel to see different royal events.

 

[rchainho]

does anyone has the list of the top 10 richest royal families?

 

[Humera]

I dont know about the various regions, but I believe Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei is the richest monarch in the world. He used to be the wealthiest person in the world but that was before his brother squandered away billions. He is undoubtedly the richest monarch in Asia.

"Brunei Darussalam on the island of Borneo is the closest South East Asia comes to utopia. It’s a land of sandy beaches, forests, rivers- and no taxes. Although it’s one of the smallest countries, the Sultanate of Brunei is one of the richest nations in Asia. The Sultan of Brunei is the world’s richest monarch; the people have the highest per capita incomes in the world; there are no personal taxes; healthcare and education are free; and houses and cars are subsidised."
http://www.journeymart.com/DExplorer/AsiaSE/Brunei/default.asp

The Saudi King is also among the wealthiest in the world, certainly in the Middle East.

 

[lamass]

i heard that the liechtenstein family is really wealthy for europe. they have some billion to their name.

 

[Warren]

King of Thailand

From the Sydney Morning Herald 24.7.03 ...

THAI KING CAN WHISTLE A HAPPY TUNE

Unlike their European counterparts, who are mostly sustained by taxes, Thailand's Royals pay their own way. And they do so via the Crown Property Bureau, created in the 1930s when Thailand was transformed from an absolute monarchy - the Royal Family owned literally everything - to the constitutional monarchy it is today.

The CPB inherited about half of downtown Bangkok and owns controlling stakes in blue-chip companies. It has been conservatively valued at A$40 billion.

Its finances are known to only a handful; the King and a board of aristocratic courtiers and ex-politicians, and Thailand's Finance Minister who is also a director of CPB.
.

 

[Alisa]

i always thought the windsors would be the richest

The Liechtenstein Princely family are the wealthiest in royal/princely family in Europe. Their wealth is their own. It is mostly contained in the vast majority of land and property that they own, not to mention their immense art collection that contains some of the most famous and valuable art pieces in the world.

Here is the Forbes 2005 of the richest royals

click royals and rulers in the left margin

 

[Nathalian]

Alisa....I couldn´t open your site....could you send again...I know that the last is the Belgians....they ONLY (ironic only) have 45 million dollar....

 

[Warren]

Luxembourg

These are from previous posts ...

The Luxembourg royal family comes in second place with approximately £3 billion.

[Former] Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg follows with £800 million

.

Does anyone have any knowledge of what assets these figures are based on?
.

 

[Alisa]

Alisa....I couldn´t open your site....could you send again...I know that the last is the Belgians....they ONLY (ironic only) have 45 million dollar....

I hope this works:
http://www.forbes.com/billionaires/2005/03/07/cz_bill05_royalsslide.html?thisSpeed=40000

 

[Benjamin]

Wealth of Europe's Royals

R E G A L R I C H E S

Jun. 3, 2002/Vol. 159 No. 22


Secrets of the Counting House

When the family jewels run to crowns, scepters and diamond-encrusted tiaras, making ends meet is clearly not a pressing concern. But not all of Europe’s royal families can lay claim to a king’s ransom

By JOE PERRY

LIECHTENSTEIN
• They reign over a mere sliver of a state, but their fortune is decidedly big league. The Liechtenstein family’s wealth, which predates their purchase of the principality that bears their name, was once concentrated in vast land holdings in the Holy Roman Empire. The family still has estates in Austria, but today their estimated $4.6 billion fortune derives mostly from a priceless art collection and the family-owned finance company, LGT Group, with recent profits of more than $43 million and $27 billion in assets under management in its banking division.

LUXEMBOURG
• A 1999 survey by EuroBusiness magazine ranked Luxembourg’s grand ducal family — who, like the Liechtensteins, reign over a small country with an unusually high concentration of banks — as Europe’s second-richest royals, with an estimated fortune of $4.3 billion. Much of their wealth is in land and investments.

THE NETHERLANDS
• The House of Orange can bask in the golden glow of a fortune estimated at more than $3 billion. The family is thought once to have owned as much as a quarter of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group. Their diversified portfolio includes a range of investments, as well as an extensive art collection and large amounts of landholdings. The state has placed three palaces at the disposal of the royal family

BELGIUM
• Intense speculation last year about the size of their fortune prompted the royal family to issue an unusual clarification on the subject. The official figure of nearly $11.5 million is far below previous estimates, like the EuroBusiness sum of $2 billion. The royal family says that figure also included state assets. But the palace’s total does not count a villa in France and a yacht, or art and other land holdings.

DENMARK
• Queen Margrethe’s annual $6.75 million allowance contributes to the maintenance of the royal family. EuroBusiness has estimated that the family also has a relatively modest fortune of $15 million in an investment fund. However the palace — which refuses to release details of the royals’ wealth — says this is "too high."

NORWAY
• King Harald V is said to have inherited a significant fortune, much of it in property in Britain, from his father Olav V, a grandson of Britain’s King Edward VII. EuroBusiness estimated the family’s total private wealth at around $130 million, but the palace refuses any comment on the matter.

SWEDEN
• The 10 palaces King Carl XVI Gustaf and his family have at their disposal are state-owned, and he pays taxes at the same rates as any Swede. The Swedish court confirms that the King’s private fortune is in the range of $20 million.

MONACO
• Like many of the residents of this ministate, Prince Rainier has a sizable, tax-exempt personal fortune. His Grimaldi family owns about a fourth of Monaco’s 195 hectares and 69% of SBM — the company that owns Monte Carlo’s Casino — which had profits of around $27 million. The family’s art collection is said to include works by Rubens and Goya.

SPAIN
• Little is known about the reigning Bourbon family’s wealth. Everything from the royal yacht to family jewels is state property and they have few personal assets. Though well-connected — Queen Sofia was born a Greek princess — they’re thought to be among Europe’s least-rich royals.

(Article taken from http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/2002/0603/monarchy/riches.html)

 

[bigheadshirmp]

Hans Adam II
Prince, LiechtensteinNet Worth: $2.2 billion
A despot reigns over the tiny tax haven of Liechtenstein. Hans Adam grabbed near-absolute power in a referendum last year--he can now hire and fire the government, veto laws and appoint judges at will. Family holdings include three 17th-century palaces and four houses in central Vienna, a priceless art collection that includes works by Rembrandt and Rubens and an estimated 20,000 hectares of land in Austria. Also owns the decidedly opaque LGT private bank. Hans Adam is set to turn power over to his son, Crown Prince Alois, later this year.from www.forbes.com

Richest royal in europe~ as of 2004

 

[bigheadshirmp]

Queen Elizabeth II
Queen, U.K.Net Worth: $660 million
Christened in the Buckingham chapel and homeschooled in art and music, Queen Elizabeth II was coronated in 1953 at age 27. Safeguards invaluable, state-owned treasures like the Crown Jewels. Her personal portfolio includes fine art, gems, antiques and a stamp collection begun by grandfather King George V. Also owns real estate and equity stakes. While the Queen closely guards the details of her purse, she seems less successful maintaining mums-the-word on palace affairs. Recent tabloid headlines included news that Princess Diana foretold her "accidental" death in her diary.

 

[bigheadshirmp]

Queen Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard
Queen, The NetherlandsNet Worth: $260 million
Another eventful year for the House of Orange. Good news: Queen Beatrix's new daughter-in-law, Maxima, gave birth to a baby daughter, Catharina-Amalia, in early December. But also a black eye: Her second son, Johan Friso, is renouncing his claim to the throne after it was revealed that his future wife had been involved with a mobster. None of which, of course, has affected the family fortune, made up of antiques, real estate and investments in national stalwarts like Royal Dutch Petroleum and ABN Amro.



they only have 3 european royals in the list...the others are from the middle east, asia, and cuba

 

[bigheadshirmp]

Hans Adam II
Prince, LiechtensteinNet Worth: $2.2 billion
A despot reigns over the tiny tax haven of Liechtenstein. Hans Adam grabbed near-absolute power in a referendum last year--he can now hire and fire the government, veto laws and appoint judges at will. Family holdings include three 17th-century palaces and four houses in central Vienna, a priceless art collection that includes works by Rembrandt and Rubens and an estimated 20,000 hectares of land in Austria. Also owns the decidedly opaque LGT private bank. Hans Adam is set to turn power over to his son, Crown Prince Alois, later this year.from www.forbes.com

Richest royal in europe~ as of 2004

 

[azile]

Civil List income and extravegant Royal spending

I just returned from a wonderful 2-week trip to England. While we saw many wonderful and beautiful sites, we particularly focused on sites relating to the Royal Family and it’s history while in London.



Until now, I have been a huge fan of the British Royal family, and have followed them since I was a little girl. My interest has recently expanded into interest in all of the European Royals.



However, at the end of this trip I was left feeling quite disappointed. There were two things that contributed to this:



1. Overly expensive entrance costs to royal sites- while I understand that it costs great amounts to keep public attractions open, I was struck by the irony that I was paying large sums of money to visit sites under the ownership of the richest woman in the world! Since civil list income goes toward the maintenance of these locations, I was a little shocked that British taxpayers are expected to hand over their tax dollars PLUS pay entrance fees to these places.



At Windsor, there was great emphasis placed on the entrance fees as covering renovations resulting from the 1992 fire. However, when you look at the overall budget for the renovations, a small percentage has come from the entrance fees while most of the costs were covered again by British tax dollars. An even smaller amount was paid by the Royal Family itself and, because the Castle is not insured, there was no insurance money to be collected.



The Royal Collections are, I understand, property of the Crown and I was wondering why it is so expensive to visit them!





2. Negative public opinion against the Royal Family- visiting with British friends (and their friends!) I was very surprised by the huge amount of disgust that exists for the Royal Family. One person described their existence as “state-sanctioned thievery” and it was very clear that many people resent funding the extravagant lifestyles of the Royals. One person cited (and this could be corrected if need be) that the apartments in Kensington Palace are rented to royals for 69 pounds per month, when the actual real estate value would be several thousand pounds per month. The BBC documentary about Windsor Castle showed the wine steward opening up hundreds of extremely rare and even more extremely expensive vintage wines for a banquet- the total sum of wine alone being in the range of several hundred thousand pounds. There are reports about continuous spending on new polo ponies, home renovations (for personal and not state reasons) and so on. This all seems to have left a very bitter taste in the mouths of the average British citizen.



My question is this- what kind of accountability is there for Royals who draw income from Civil Lists? Is Britain the only monarchy funded by a Civil list? What other monarchs have similar income and what is the public opinion in these countries?



I’m interested to hear your thoughts on this topic!



Eliza

 

[EmpressRouge]

I'm no expert on this area (and I could be wrong on some of these things) but here our some of my thoughts.
1) expensive entrance fees: I was in London recently (Nov. 04), and though I did not go to Windsor, I noticed the high prices on admission to places like Kensington. However, I then noticed how high prices are on everything in Europe, especially with the depreciation of the US$ in recent years.
2) The Queen's property. A lot of the property (castles, jewelry, paintings) the queen "owns" is property of the state, and thus as Head of State, it's all under QEII's name. She CANNOT sell any of these state properties (e.g. sell Buckingham Palace to pay a debt). Thus, the queen (and the rest British royal family) has a lot of wealth, but not that much liquid assets. The opposite is true with the Dutch and Liechtenstein royal families, who have a lot of investment in stocks, bonds, etc. In order words, the Brits don't get a ton of spending cash, but get the perks of living castles and using helicopters to fly to golf courses.
3) The Costs: I've read an article (forget name) in which the writer followed Prince Philipp around for a day. He commented that for the amount of work the 80+ yr. old does, his salary is very low (granted it's a lot of waving and ribbon cutting, but the schedule is crammed w/ more than 10 of those a day). In countries w/o monarchies, the amount of money saved from the civil lists are still being spent, just in other places. State galas w/ vintage wines are still held and cost the same, if not more than having a royal family, but are distributed throughout various gov't departments making look like less money. Plus, at least in the case w/ the Brits, the royal family brings in lots of tourist dollars.

 

[Iain]

I think that the expensive entrance to Windsor may be because when the castle went on fire there was a great uproar when Tony Blair said that the tax payer would pay for the restoration. The public made it clear that they would not pay.

I read that it costs more to keep the Windsors than all the other European monarchies put together. The other royals tend to be careful with money. They often travel by public forms of transport whereas the Windsors think nothing of spending a fortune on private planes etc. to get them where they are going. All this throwing money around really grates on the ordinary man in the street.

Are they worth all that money? well no. If you look at the queen's year you see that she has a months break over Christmas and New Year, another month at Easter and a three month break in the summer when she hides away at Balmoral. During those five months she carries out no public duties. For the remaining seven months she stays at Windsor every weekend from Friday to Monday and carries out no public duties on those days. That leaves 3 days when she does carry out duties. This means that there are only 84 days in the year when she carries out public duties. That is 11 weeks out of 52. Not bad work if you can get it.

There's not a great deal of love for them in Britain and here in Scotland they are seen as being aloof and out of touch. The Scots have always regarded themselves as good Europeans and prefer the more down to earth monarchies that you find elsewhere in Europe. In fact, the Scots monarchs walked among their people and were regarded as "the first among equels." It was only when James VI took the English throne and emigrated to London that the rot set in.

I think the other royal families are far better value for the money.

 

[Nichola]

I can honestly say that when I have visited royal residences, I have found the entrance fee great value for money.

When I visited Buckingham Palace, and Windsor Castle, the fee was under £10, and well worth the experience. For example, at Windsor Castle there is the State Appartments to visit, St George's Chapel, Queen Mary's Dolls House, and the grounds in general, and the visit could easily occupy a whole day!

If I had, for example, gone to another tourist attraction, such as Madame Tussauds, they are generally a lot more expensive.

 

[lashinka2002]

Are they worth all that money? well no. If you look at the queen's year you see that she has a months break over Christmas and New Year, another month at Easter and a three month break in the summer when she hides away at Balmoral. During those five months she carries out no public duties. For the remaining seven months she stays at Windsor every weekend from Friday to Monday and carries out no public duties on those days. That leaves 3 days when she does carry out duties. This means that there are only 84 days in the year when she carries out public duties. That is 11 weeks out of 52. Not bad work if you can get it.
QUOTE]

Please remember that the Queen is also in her 80's and must work at a pace that won't kill her. Same with Prince Philip. She probably put in alot more time when she was younger.

Also, wheras other Royal famalies from other countries may travel relativley unknown on public airlines that is virtually impossible for the BRF. They are internationally famous & would certainly be hounded by the public & the paparazzi virtually every moment of the flight.

 

[Iain]

Please remember that the Queen is also in her 80's and must work at a pace that won't kill her. Same with Prince Philip. She probably put in alot more time when she was younger.

I'm sorry, but Elizabeth has followed that same routine throughout her reign


Also, wheras other Royal famalies from other countries may travel relativley unknown on public airlines that is virtually impossible for the BRF. They are internationally famous & would certainly be hounded by the public & the paparazzi virtually every moment of the flight.

Princess Anne thinks nothing of travelling by public transport so if it's good enough for her it should be good enough for the rest of them. Also, a few years ago Elizabeth had to travel on a public airline to New Zealand because the New Zealand government refused to pay for a private jet.

 

[azile]

That's interesting- I have also read that it costs more to "upkeep" the Windsors than the rest of the European monarchs combined.

Are the other European monarchies on civil lists or do they live exclusively off their own income?

Eliza

 

[norwegianne]

Most of the European monarchies get money from the state for the work they perform.


The topic has been discussed before, in this post.

 

[EmpressRouge]

Also the British royal family is a lot bigger than the ones on the Continent. Besides the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, and their kids, it also includes the Queen's cousins, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, Duke and Duchess of Kent, Princess Alexandra of Kent, and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. It's so large becz they are more high profile, have more duties, and have to serve Britain and the rest of the Commonwealth. The RFs of other European nations usually consists of the monarch and his/her immediate family thus have a smaller civil list.

 

[Iain]

Also the British royal family is a lot bigger than the ones on the Continent. Besides the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, and their kids, it also includes the Queen's cousins, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, Duke and Duchess of Kent, Princess Alexandra of Kent, and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. It's so large becz they are more high profile, have more duties, and have to serve Britain and the rest of the Commonwealth. The RFs of other European nations usually consists of the monarch and his/her immediate family thus have a smaller civil list.

Many of the other royal famlies are just as large as the British one but they realise that the tax payer is not willing to pay to keep them all. In Britain the Gloucesters , the Kents and Andrew etc. are known as "the hangers on" in other words, the are out for all they can get. They take the money and do very little for it. The late queen mother got £643,000 from the civil list. Why on earth would a 100 year old woman need all that money? Even with all that money she was notorious for running up large bills and not paying them. It got so bad that some suppliers refused to let her have anything and often the queen had to pay her mothers bills.

As far as people in Britain can see, the Windsors are not worth the money and the other royal families seem to do far more and are far closer to their people.