Royal Family Slammed for Lavish Spending Expert Says They’re Burning Public Money While Preaching Climate Change
A royal scandal is brewing—this time over the mounting cost of monarchy. According to royal commentator and former MP Norman Baker, the British Royal Family is recklessly burning through taxpayer money, all while pretending to be financially responsible.
In a scathing column for The Mirror, Baker doesn’t hold back, accusing King Charles and his inner circle of “abusing public funds” and hiding behind a carefully constructed façade of fiscal prudence. But behind palace doors, he claims, the reality is far from royal restraint.
“What utter hogwash,” Baker blasts in response to palace claims that the royals are being careful with public money. “They even have the cheek to suggest that Charles is being generous because he only takes 12% of the income of the Crown Estate.”
Baker reminds readers that the Crown Estate—a collection of royal properties and investments—has functioned as a public body since 1760. For centuries, its profits went 100% to the Treasury, funding essentials like education, healthcare, defense, and welfare.
Under the Sovereign Grant Act, the Royal Family began receiving 12% of the Crown Estate’s annual profits—a figure that ballooned after a massive rise in estate income. “This 12% is a new royal tax on the public purse,” Baker insists, calling it nothing short of daylight robbery masked as tradition.
Baker exposes one of the most jaw-dropping expenses from last year: £1.2 million spent on private charter flights—just within Britain. These weren’t international royal tours or emergency state visits. These were domestic trips to cities like Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Newcastle, easily reachable by train.
“If you’re serious about climate change,” Baker adds sharply, “you don’t book chartered jets to hop around the UK. The royals are in the top 1% of global carbon emitters, yet they continue to lecture the public about environmental responsibility.”
The expert paints a picture of a Royal Family completely disconnected from the economic pressures of the British people—one that’s spending freely while millions struggle with cost-of-living increases, wage stagnation, and crumbling public services.
The timing of this criticism couldn’t be more uncomfortable for the monarchy. King Charles has spent years carefully crafting an image of a “modern monarch,” committed to environmentalism and transparency.
But with revelations like these, even royal supporters are starting to question how far that modernity truly goes.
Baker also raises concerns over lavish renovations, inflated security costs, and other palace perks that continue to drain public coffers. He argues that many of the Royal Family’s expenses are shielded from scrutiny under outdated laws and vague reporting practices.
For those calling for reform—or even for a republic—this latest round of royal revelations is adding serious fuel to the fire.
“Let’s stop pretending the Royal Family is good value for money,” Baker concludes. “They’re one of the most expensive public institutions in the world, and they’re not held accountable the way any other public body would be.”
With the coronation still fresh in the minds of many—and billions reportedly spent on pageantry and security—Britain may be facing a reckoning on what the monarchy truly costs its people.
One thing is clear: the Royal Family’s image of frugal dignity is being shattered—and the taxpayers footing the bill are starting to take notice.
