IS THE QUEEN RICH?

Temuka Leader, Issue 2310, 26 January 1892, Page 3

IS THE QUEEN RICH?

Mr Labouchere, besides being a Radical society journalist, is also a member of Parliament. In the former capacity he communicates to the American Forum an item of news which ho has acquired in the latter. In a shrewd article on “ Engish Royalty ” he says “An Act was recently passed enabling the Queen to make a will, as she was not before this supposed to be the possessor of any property, and the impression prevails that she has affected large savings. This is not the case. Although she has for many years lived in retirement, her expenditure has not materially decreased, for the mise cn scene of Royal pageantry is still kept up. She has expended considerable sums upon the purchase of the estates of Osborne and Balmoral, and their maintenance falls on her. She has, too, made -considerable monetary presents to her daughters on their marriages, so that, although she inherited £250,000 from a silly person who left her this amount, her private fortune is comparatively small. Two years ago Lord Salisbury’s Government submitted to Parliament a proposal to endow her grandchildren. A committee of the House of Commons was appointed to consider this demand, when it was decided that provision ought only to be made for the children of the Prince of Wales. The committee was informed, under a pledge of secrecy, of the total of Her Majesty’s investments. As I was a member of the committee, I cannot, of course, violate this pledge, but I do not think that I am breaking confidence in saving that the amount was surprisingly small”