Funded by the People, UK Government Spending Continues to Rise

Queen Elizabeth II, the monarch of the United Kingdom, passed away at the age of 96 on Thursday, September 8, 2022.

According to the official website of the British Monarchy, she held the throne for the longest period in British history.

During her lifetime, the needs of the monarchy were funded by the Sovereign Grant, largely derived from taxpayer money.

"The Sovereign Grant has been in effect since April 1, 2012, to support the Queen's official duties and maintain the Crown Estate," the British Monarchy explained in its report, *The Sovereign Grant and Sovereign Grant Reserve Annual Report and Accounts 2021-22*.

According to the report, the Sovereign Grant allocated to the British Monarchy between the fiscal years 2018-2022 ranged from £76 million to £86 million annually.

However, over the past five years, the British Monarchy's expenditure has increased significantly, exceeding its allocated grant, as shown in the graph.

For the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022, the British Monarchy received a Sovereign Grant of £86.3 million (approximately Rp1.4 trillion). However, their net expenditure reached £102.4 million (approximately Rp1.7 trillion).

Thus, in the 2022 fiscal year, the British Monarchy experienced a deficit of £16.1 million (approximately Rp277 billion). This deficit was covered by drawing from the Sovereign Grant Reserve, the remaining budget from previous years.

The British Monarchy's largest expenditure during this period was on property maintenance.