In an effort to cut costs, Buckingham Palace has announced that the royal train will no longer be in service after 2027.
Since Queen Victoria’s reign, there have been dedicated trains for the monarchs, but the decision has been made to decommission the historic rolling stock as part of a “drive to ensure we deliver value for money.”
This announcement was made alongside the annual publication of royal finances, which revealed that a recent journey on the royal train from Gloucestershire to Staffordshire and London cost over £44,000.
However, the Royal Family will still travel on regular train services and it was also reported that they took 141 helicopter trips last year, costing £475,000.
James Chalmers, the Keeper of the Privy Purse, responsible for the royal finances, stated that while it may be difficult to say goodbye to the royal train, it is important to move forward and not be restricted by tradition.
Before being taken out of service, the royal train will tour the UK and may even be put on public display. The train consists of nine carriages, with different locomotives hired to pull them.
The concept of a royal train dates back to Queen Victoria’s commissioning of special coaches in 1869, and it has been used to transport the Royal Family around the country ever since.
Mr Chalmers also acknowledged the significance of the royal train in national life, especially during events such as the late Queen Elizabeth’s golden and diamond jubilees.
However, the latest financial report showed that the train was only used twice in 2024-25, raising questions about maintenance and storage costs. This is in addition to other travel expenses, including 55 private charter flights costing almost £600,000 and scheduled flights costing £126,000. The total cost of royal travel for the year was £4.7 million, an increase of £500,000 from the previous year.
The most expensive travel item was a trip to Australia and Samoa for the King and Queen, which cost £400,000.
The annual report for 2024-25 also revealed that the Sovereign Grant, which is the public funding for the monarchy’s running costs, remained at £86.3 million. However, this funding will increase to £132.1 million for the next two years to cover the renovation work at Buckingham Palace.
This 10-year, £369 million building project has caused the Sovereign Grant to rise significantly, with the real value now three times higher than when it was first introduced in 2012. The funding for the monarchy comes from the Treasury and is based on a percentage of the profits from the Crown Estate.
The latest annual report also showed that the Royal Family carried out over 1,900 engagements and welcomed almost 94,000 guests to events at royal residences. There were also diplomatic occasions, such as hosting Qatar’s state visit to the UK.
The financial report for the Duchy of Cornwall, which provides income for the Prince of Wales, showed a profit of £22.9 million, slightly lower than the previous year. In response to media criticism of the duchy’s finances, Kensington Palace stated that they will focus on making a positive social impact.
The new secretary of the duchy, Will Bax, announced a “modern, socially minded” approach, which may include waiving rents for charitable organizations and community groups and offering 50% reductions for others. This will come at a significant cost, but it aligns with Prince William’s interests in projects such as reducing homelessness and addressing climate change.
However, anti-monarchy campaigners Republic criticized the levels of royal income, especially at a time when there are debates about cutting welfare for people with disabilities. The chief executive of Republic, Graham Smith, described royal funding as a “scandalous abuse of public money,” noting that the published figures do not include expenses such as security.
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