Royal Household spending rises by 5% to £107.5 million despite funding from taxpayers remaining the same

This resulted in the Royal Household drawing on reserves for what royal officials called an "exceptional period of transition" following Elizabeth II's death.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have vacated Frogmore Cottage.

The running costs of the monarchy, such as for official visits and residences, are funded by the Sovereign Grant, currently calculated as being 25% of the profits of the Crown Estate.

The annual accounts for 2022-23 show the funding as being £86.3 million, the same as the previous year, but spending was almost £21 million higher than the Sovereign Grant.

The 10-year £369 million project to repair Buckingham Palace had £34.5 million allocated this year, and the King and Queen Camilla plan to live there once building work is complete.

The Duke of York remains in Royal Lodge, but there were no details of his leasing arrangements.

The public funding also covers the cost of official royal travel and visits, which included £1 million on 179 helicopter journeys and £32,000 when the King used the royal train for a two-day tour.

The Queen's death saw the Palace receiving an unprecedented level of correspondence, including messages of condolence, with 183,000 items arriving in the post.

The accounts also show that the royal heating is kept at 19C to cut energy use, and that there is a "concerted effort" by staff in royal residences to set the winter heating to 19C while any empty rooms were kept at 16C.

The accounts report a "flat Sovereign Grant" due to the challenges of the pandemic and inflationary pressures.

The article suggests that the income from the duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster should be given to the state, and that the additional costs of policing and other expenses are not included in the annual accounts of the royal family.

The Republic organization has calculated that the true cost of the monarchy is at least £345 million, which could fund 13,000 new nurses or teachers.