Royal Family: Travel

(asked on 13th January 2020) - View Source

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Her Majesty's Government which members of the Royal family receive free travel in connection with (1) their royal duties, and (2) for private purposes; what was the source of the funding for any such travel; and what was the cost in 2018/19 for such travel for (a) royal duties, and (b) private purposes.


Answered by
Earl of Courtown Portrait
Earl of Courtown
Captain of the Queen's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
This question was answered on 21st January 2020

The Sovereign Grant meets the cost of official journeys undertaken by or in support of The Queen and other members of the Royal Family. As set out in the Sovereign Grant and Sovereign Grant Reserve: Annual Report and Accounts 2018-19, available on the Monarchy website[1] the cost of travel funded by the Sovereign Grant for the financial year ending 31 March 2019 was £4.6 million.

A list of journeys undertaken by members of the Royal Family and their staff during 2018-19 which had travel costs of £15,000 or more, met from the Sovereign Grant, is also available on the Monarchy website [2]. The travel costs for the tours also include the costs associated with staff undertaking visits in advance in order to plan the tour programmes.

No public money is provided to fund travel of members of the Royal Family for private purposes.

[1] https://www.royal.uk/sites/default/files/media/final_sovereign_grant_for_website.pdf

[2] https://www.royal.uk/sites/default/files/media/royal_travel_-_journeys_costing_ps15000_or_more_final.pdf

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