INCOME OF ROYALTY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 95, 8 May 1937, Page 13

INCOME OF ROYALTY

Provision For British Family

The British House of Commons has been considering the question of financial provision for the Eoyal family, and some difference of opinion arose on this topie between the Government on the one side and the opposition on the other. All politieal groups are loyal upbolders of the monarchic system Ali have been agreed alike that the provision made should be ample to keep up the ceremonial dignity of tho throne, and that the grants should be as far as possible unanimous. While the Conservatives, however, have desired to add to the existing allowances, a suitahle state pension for the ex-Eing, Edward VOT., now the Duke of "Windsor, the Labour and Liberal opposition have thought that this should be covered by contributions from the incomes of other members of the Eoyal family. Negotiations to reach agreement have thus been going on behiud tho scenes, to settle the scope of ^he provision of which details are ordinarily fixed by a select committee comprising all the parties. Such settlement is usually made at the commencement of each reign, and remains in force until a new monarch succeeds to the throne. The provision of allowances is complicated by the fact that distinction between the public revenue and tho personal income of the sovereign is a comparatively modern one. In the days of Charles II. much of the cost of government, including that of the ordinary administration of justice and the conduct of foreign affairs, liad to be met ont of royal funds. These funds came largely from Crown lands, and other hereditary sources. George III. was the first monarch to surrender some of these heerditary revenues to an "aggregate i'und" ovev which Parliament exe/eised control. William IV. and subsequqnt bovereigus have gone furthcr. Tliey have surrendered all their liereditary revenues excepting those derived from -what aTe knowxi as the Duchies of Coriuvall and Lancascter, which inclutles reuts and other income from properties in many different parts of Britain. In return, Parliament liaa voted fixed annual sums for the personal expenses of the varioas Mokwi ( ti Ue Eoyal family

The value of crown lands and other hereditary revenues having steadily increased, it has been argued that th*» country has driven a hard bargain in substituting fixed instead of rising payments to royalty. On the other hand, it has been thought that payments should be couditioned solely by what is reasonable for the Eoyal family to receive from the State. This takes no account of accumluated savings of past occupants of the throne, whieh not being subjeet either to annual taxation or to succession duty, escape the publicity accorded to the fortunes of lesser folk. "No reliable estimate of the royal income is thus f orthcoming. . On the other hand various items in ifc are public property. During the last reign the "civii list ' ' provided by tho taxpayer amounted to £410,000 an nually. This was designed to cover the King's "privy purse" also his household salaries and expenses. It was additional to sums totalling £101,000 from the Duchy of Lancaster and £104,000 from the Duchy of Cornwall, also paid to tho Monarchy. From this, however, Edward VIII. agreed that there should remain undrawn, so long as he remained unmarried, £40,000 annually and also so long as the revenues of the Duchy of Cornwall which were vested m him remainded at the level of £104,000 In addition to the income granted to the ex-King, Parliament also provided annuities for other royalties In 1936 these annuities amounted to £194,000 annually. They comprised annually £70,000 for Queen Mary, £25,000 for the Duke of Connaught, £6000 for surviving daughters of the late King Edward VII., £8i,000 for brothers and sister of the ex-Iiing Edward VIII., and £6000 each to Pnneess Louise and Princess Beatrice. Tho civil estimates for the year ending M'areh 31, 1937, also contained provision of £95,9.64 for upkecp of royal palaces. Apai't from private property, t'herefore, the public resources ' of the British Eoyal family are in the neighbourhood of £900,000 annually. It was announced early this week that the Duke of Windsor was to be not included im the provision* of ■ the civil list -