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Sources · Abolishing the monarchy

This house would abolish the monarchy.

Fact bank v1 · 12 cards

  1. ABM-01Mostly false

    “The monarchy costs each person in the UK only about £1 a year.”

    Out of date. The main public payment to the monarchy, the Sovereign Grant, is £137.9 million in 2026/27. Shared between the UK's 69.5 million people, that is just under £2 each. It also leaves out some costs, like royal security, which the government does not publish.

    The grant was £86.3 million in 2024/25. It went up for two years to finish paying for a ten-year, £369 million repair of Buckingham Palace. The government plans to cut it to £99.9 million a year from 2027/28, which would be about £1.40 each. The grant pays for the King's official work, like staff, travel and looking after palaces. It is not personal pay for any royal.

    “The amount of the Sovereign Grant for the financial year 2026-27 is £137,900,000.”
    HM Treasury and the Royal Trustees (GOV.UK)·Sovereign Grant Act 2011: Report of the Royal Trustees on the Sovereign Grant 2026-27Government / parliament · 24 Mar 2026 ↗

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  2. ABM-02Unsupported

    “The monarchy really costs taxpayers more than £500 million a year.”

    This figure can't be checked, and it counts more than just spending. It comes from the campaign group Republic, which adds its own estimates of hidden costs, plus money it says the country misses out on. The official main payment, the Sovereign Grant, is £137.9 million in 2026/27.

    The biggest unknown is royal security. The government does not publish what it costs, saying that could put the people being protected at risk. Estimates listed by the House of Commons Library range from several million to a hundred million pounds a year. Some other costs, like policing big royal events, are paid by other parts of government. So the full cost is more than the grant, but nobody outside government can say by how much.

    “No breakdown of security costs is available as disclosure of such information could compromise the integrity of these arrangements”
    HM Treasury (GOV.UK)·Sovereign Grant Act 2011: guidanceGovernment / parliament · 26 Jun 2026 ↗

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  3. ABM-03Mostly false

    “The King doesn't pay any tax.”

    Mostly wrong. The law does not make the monarch pay tax. But since 1993, monarchs have chosen to pay income tax and capital gains tax (tax on profits from selling things). King Charles paid £12.9 million in 2024/25, the first time the amount was made public.

    Some things are not taxed. The Sovereign Grant is not taxed, because it pays for official work. No inheritance tax is paid on things passed from one monarch to the next. The official tax agreement says this helps the monarchy stay independent of the government of the day. Other members of the Royal Family pay tax in the normal way.

    “The King however pays income and capital gains tax, on a voluntary basis, and inheritance tax will also be paid voluntarily”
    HM Treasury (GOV.UK)·Memorandum of Understanding on Royal Taxation 2023Government / parliament · 20 Jul 2023 ↗

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  4. ABM-04True

    “The royal duchies make millions but pay no corporation tax.”

    Confirmed: neither the Duchy of Cornwall, which gives Prince William his income, nor the Duchy of Lancaster, which pays money to the King, pays corporation tax. Both count as part of the Crown, which is exempt.

    In 2025/26 the Duchy of Lancaster paid the King £21.2 million. The King and Prince William do choose to pay income tax on what they get from the duchies, apart from money spent on official work. The Duchy of Cornwall says charging corporation tax as well would tax the same money twice. In 2013 the MP who led Parliament's committee for checking public spending said the exemption may give the Duchy of Cornwall an unfair advantage over businesses that do pay.

    “The Duchy of Cornwall is not liable to pay corporation tax as it is a Crown body subject to Crown exemption.”
    House of Commons Library·Finances of the Monarchy (research briefing CBP-9807)Government / parliament · 30 Jun 2026 ↗

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  5. ABM-05Mixed

    “The royals pay for themselves, because the King hands the Crown Estate's profits, over £1 billion a year, to the Treasury.”

    Partly. All of the Crown Estate's profit does go to the Treasury. It was £1.149 billion in 2024/25, but it fell to £487 million in 2025/26. And the Crown Estate is not the King's own property: he cannot sell it, and its profits do not belong to him. Monarchs have handed over its income since 1760 in return for government support.

    The profit fell partly because the Crown Estate kept more money back to invest. The government expects it to fall further over the next two years, as short-term fees from offshore wind farms end. Even so, the profit is still more than the Sovereign Grant of £137.9 million, which is paid out of public money, not straight from the Crown Estate. Critics say the 'swap' is not a real deal: in 1952 the Chancellor agreed this money had always been used to run the country.

    “The profits of the Crown Estate are public money and all go to the Treasury.”
    Full Fact·The Royal Family doesn't receive £320 million a year from the taxpayerFact-checker / wire service · 30 Aug 2024 ↗

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  6. ABM-06Unsupported

    “The monarchy brings in far more money from tourism than it costs.”

    No one can measure this well. The House of Commons Library says the size of these benefits is highly uncertain. Brand Finance, a business consultancy, estimated a yearly benefit of £197 million after costs in 2023/24, plus £761 million from one-off events like the coronation.

    Estimates like this depend a lot on what you choose to count. They also cover more than tourism, such as trade and 'royal warrants' (a badge firms can show if they supply the royals). The campaign group Republic calls a tourist board claim of £500 million a year 'deeply flawed'. It says even the tourist board admits the figure tells us nothing about what would happen if Britain became a republic. So tourism numbers from both sides should be treated with care.

    “As with the costs cited in the previous section, the size of these benefits is highly uncertain.”
    House of Commons Library·Finances of the Monarchy (research briefing CBP-9807)Government / parliament · 30 Jun 2026 ↗

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  7. ABM-07True

    “King Charles's coronation cost taxpayers more than £70 million.”

    Confirmed: the government's culture department spent £50.3 million on the coronation in May 2023, and another £21.7 million went to the Home Office for policing. That adds up to £72 million.

    Big events like this are paid for by government departments, not out of the Sovereign Grant. The government says the coronation reached an estimated 2 billion people around the world. Whether that was worth the cost is a matter of opinion.

    “DCMS costs towards the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla were £50.3m, funded by HM Treasury.”
    Department for Culture, Media and Sport (GOV.UK)·DCMS annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024 (Annex D: other areas of significant expenditure)Government / parliament · 21 Nov 2024 ↗

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  8. ABM-08Mostly false

    “The King can block any law he doesn't like by refusing to sign it.”

    Only on paper. Every new law needs Royal Assent, the monarch's formal agreement, but by long custom it is always given. No monarch has refused since Queen Anne in 1708.

    Some legal experts say the power still exists in law, while others say using it would break the rules of the constitution. A separate step, King's Consent, applies to bills that touch the Crown's own interests. In 2021 a minister said it was agreed as a matter of course and had never been refused in modern times. But a 2021 newspaper report said that in the 1970s, Queen Elizabeth II's private lawyer lobbied for a change to a new law so her shareholdings could stay secret.

    “Royal Assent has not been refused to a Bill since 1708.”
    House of Commons Library·Royal Assent (research briefing CBP-9466)Government / parliament · 19 Jul 2026 ↗

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  9. ABM-09True

    “Most people in Britain want to keep the monarchy.”

    Confirmed: a November 2021 poll cited by the House of Commons Library found 60% of Britons want Britain to stay a monarchy. Around a fifth would rather it became a republic.

    That poll was taken while Queen Elizabeth II was still alive. Polls go up and down, and different polls ask different questions, so it is worth checking how recent a poll is before relying on it. The campaign group Republic wants the King replaced by an elected head of state.

    “Polling suggests that 60% of “Britons favour Britain remaining a monarchy” while around a fifth support the UK becoming a republic.”
    House of Commons Library·The Crown and the constitution (research briefing CBP-8885)Government / parliament · 24 Nov 2021 ↗
  10. ABM-10True

    “The King is head of state of 15 countries, not just the UK.”

    Confirmed: besides the UK, there are 14 Commonwealth Realms, independent countries where the King is also head of state. They include Australia, Canada, Jamaica and New Zealand.

    The list has been shrinking as some countries become republics. Barbados removed the Queen as head of state on 30 November 2021, 55 years after independence, and stayed in the Commonwealth. Its first president was chosen by its parliament, not by a public vote. In the other realms, a local representative, usually called a governor-general, carries out most of the King's duties.

    “Today there are 14 Commonwealth Realms, independent countries where the King is also head of state.”
    House of Commons Library·The Crown and the constitution (research briefing CBP-8885)Government / parliament · 4 Aug 2025 ↗

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  11. ABM-11Mostly true

    “The King stays out of party politics and doesn't even vote.”

    Mostly right. By custom the King does not vote or stand for election, although no law stops him. Staying neutral is an unwritten rule, not a law.

    Royal speeches that might cause a row are sent to the right government minister first, as a courtesy. Before he became King, Charles said he would stop speaking out on topics like the environment, because a monarch has to stay within the limits of the role. Even so, some remarks by the King and by Prince William have caused arguments.

    “by convention, the King “does not vote or stand for election”, although there exists no legal impediment to him doing so.”
    House of Commons Library·The Crown and the constitution (research briefing CBP-8885)Government / parliament · 4 Aug 2025 ↗
  12. ABM-12Mostly true

    “The King is above the law: he can't be arrested or taken to court.”

    Mostly right in a legal sense. The monarch personally cannot be arrested or sued in the UK's own courts. But this protection covers only the King himself, not other royals or government ministers.

    The idea is very old: the courts work in the King's name, so he cannot be put on trial in his own courts. A 1947 law let people take the government to court, but it kept the monarch's personal protection. Also, laws made by Parliament do not apply to the Crown unless they say so.

    “the Sovereign cannot be arrested; no arrest can be made within the Sovereign’s presence or within the royal palaces”
    House of Commons Library·The Crown and the constitution (research briefing CBP-8885)Government / parliament · 4 Aug 2025 ↗

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