The Royal Family - an Asset or a Burden?

A staggering £72 million of taxpayer money funded the pomp and ceremony that was King Charles III’s Royal Coronation – a mind-boggling sum that is more than a slap in the face to the millions of Brits suffering through the cost-of-living crisis.

On the 6^th of May 2023, Charles was crowned King in Westminster Abbey, a historic event no doubt, but in the current economic climate is it really the time for such an obscene display of wealth? As reported by the Independent, the total taxpayer contribution to the Sovereign Grant was £89.1 million in 2023/24 and in a moment where young, earning people in the UK are still unable to move out of their parents’ house and national services such as the NHS are woefully underfunded, this figure is nothing short of insulting.

Prior to his ascension to the Throne, Charles has, for a long time, voiced his desire to modernise and somewhat “slim down” the British monarchy, similar to many European Royals such as that of Spain and Belgium. However, having been pining after the throne for decades, he appears to be well and truly relishing the pageantry of kingly life, the coronation being no exception, begging the question, were these merely empty promises in order to appease to the public eye?

It's fair to say the Royals have endured serious blows to their public image in recent years, being hit with scandal after scandal in the last decade. Among the many, are some particularly notable disasters: Andrew and Epstein's friendship, the gross amount of public spending, not forgetting the Harry and Megan soap opera. Whilst it may be thought this would be enough to stir antimonarchist sentiment, it appears not.

Although it may boggle the mind, the most recent YouGov poll shows that after 2 years on the throne, Charles boasts a popularity rating of an impressive 68% , perhaps indicating that the ability to put on such a display of wealth and grandeur in such a time ironically has the power to render more patriotism than criticism among the British public. However, Charles notably lacks this popularity among the younger people of the nation with only 25% of 18–24-year-old Britons holding him in positive opinion, potentially showing signs for a shifting public attitude towards the Royal Family in years to come.

The coronation is simply the latest in a line of plunders that have once again reiterated that the British Monarchy is an outdated, imperial and wasteful institution.