The Royal Family's Riches Soar To New Heights: How Much Will They Make In 2025?

The rich are about to get a whole lot richer. Each year, the royal family receives the Sovereign Grant, a payment from the government to the monarchy to support their official expenses. In 2025, the Grant is being raised by £45 million ($55 million) to £132 million ($161 million) according to Town & Country. While those are certainly staggering sums, they represent a meager fraction of the entirety of the government's spending. "I think you always have to put this into perspective and say that in terms of the whole government budget the cost of the royal family is a drop in the ocean," journalist Richard Palmer said (via Town & Country), though he acknowledged the announcement is certainly eye-catching. "The rise, particularly this year, has raised quite a few eyebrows."

Some amount of the raise in the Sovereign Grant will be put towards the costly renovation of Buckingham Palace, amounting to £369 million ($450 million), though the royals haven't specified how much of the grant will be allotted to that project. Once the renovations are completed by 2027, the Sovereign Grant will be assessed and likely reduced. "A reduction in the absolute amount of the sovereign grant will be sought as part of the royal trustees review in 2026-27," the king's Keeper of the Privy Purse Michael Stevens said in July 2024 when the increase was announced (via The Guardian).

Unsurprisingly, not everyone is pleased. "It is scandalous," CEO of Republic Graham Smith said (via Town & Country). Republic is a pressure group advocating for a republic constitution to replace the monarchy. "Not only should it not be going up at all, it should be going down," Smith continued.

Smith wasn't the only one to scrutinize the Sovereign Grant's increase. "It is another nail in the coffin for the royal family ... especially when many have lost their winter fuel allowance from the government. Many have to decide whether to eat or heat their homes for winter," royal expert Ian Pelham Turner said to Fox News. He argued that the monarchy's private funds could cover the cost of the Buckingham Palace repairs instead of the government funding. King Charles in particular has a staggering net worth, as Us Weekly reported his assets are worth is $750 million.

In fall 2024, the documentary "The King, The Prince & Their Secret Millions," the Channel 4 program "Dispatches," and a report from The Sunday Times all put the King and Prince's finances under a microscope. As the royal family is no stranger to financial scandals, these reports alleged the King and Prince's Duchies and other properties make millions of pounds by charging the government and general public for things like crossing rivers, running cables under their land, ferries, tolls, and rental homes. The catch? They're exempt from paying tax on their profits.