Buckingham Palace repair bill revealed: Public figure dubs astronomical sum an 'Insult to the British taxpayers'

The Buckingham Palace repair bill, and how much is being paid by the British taxpayer, is revealed as Royal Family's finances made public

Camilla, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince George of Cambridge, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, Prince Louis of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge stand on the balcony during the Platinum Pageant
(Image credit: Photo by Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

The Buckingham Palace repair bill was previously revealed to top an enormous £369M. However, the annual report of palace finances has revealed that British taxpayers paid over £100M towards the refurbishment last year alone.


The taxpayer-funded part of the Royal Family's income, called the Sovereign Grant, is an often contentious topic among UK residents. Despite the Royal Household having spent £16.1M more than it earned from the annual grant, the astronomical figure for the Buckingham Palace repair bill has received a negative backlash.

BBC News reports that the Sovereign Grant for 2021/2022 was set for £86.3M (£1.29 per person in the UK) - not including security costs, which are kept confidential. However, last year's amount rose to £102.4M. In other words, an increase of 17%.

ITV News reports that the Keeper of the Privy Purse, who controls the royal finances, Sir Michael Stevens explained the reasoning for the increase was the ongoing Buckingham Palace repair bill. He said, "There was a significant increase in work against a hard deadline to enable Buckingham Palace to be at the center of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations."

Buckingham Palace repair bill: The Royal Family on the Buckingham Palace balcony

(Image credit: Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

In perhaps a not-so-surprising turn of events, this news has split opinions - with many people wondering why such an enormous amount was footed by the UK taxpayer. Especially in light of the cost of living crisis, the ongoing impact of the UK government's austerity measures, the pandemic, and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Author, lawyer, political and women's rights activist Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu tweeted about the report, laying out why she's so appalled by the news.

Arguments for the Royal Family receiving this grant say that they're vital for the UK's tourism and an important part of the country's history. They also argue that they pay taxes on their personal wealth, which contributes to the UK's economy.

The annual report of palace finances, which also showed the cost of Prince William and Kate Middleton's 'disastrous' Caribbean tour, is a stark contrast to a recent survey.

Buckingham Palace

(Image credit: Getty)

The devastating ONS survey revealed how many UK residents are suffering at this time. To be precise, 77% of people over 16 reported they feel, "very or somewhat worried about the rising cost of living." Worse still, of these respondents, 50% said they worry, “nearly every day."

Aoife Hanna
Junior News Editor

Aoife is an Irish journalist and writer with a background in creative writing, comedy, and TV production.

Formerly woman&home's junior news editor and a contributing writer at Bustle, her words can be found in the Metro, Huffpost, Delicious, Imperica and EVOKE.

Her poetry features in the Queer Life, Queer Love anthology.

Outside of work you might bump into her at a garden center, charity shop, yoga studio, lifting heavy weights, or (most likely) supping/eating some sort of delicious drink/meal.