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The Queen will not be granted an annual allowance worth almost £360,000 from parliament to fund official duties – despite the previous consort, Prince Philip, being paid the same sum.

The funding structures of the Royal Family were subject to scrutiny by the National Audit Office (NAO) – the UK’s independent public spending watchdog.

A report on the royal household’s spending and accountability was published on Friday as part of the NAO’s work to improve transparency.

It suggested the King‘s diary is expected to be busier than his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II – in part due to her scaling back engagements due to the pandemic.

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The monarch could “alter future funding needs in substantial ways” as a result, the NAO concluded.

The report said: “Parliament provided Prince Philip with a separate annuity worth £359,000 per annum.

“Queen Camilla will not receive a separate annuity and the Queen’s activities will be funded from the (Sovereign) Grant.”

What is the Sovereign Grant?

The Sovereign Grant is a single grant supporting the monarch’s official business as head of state and covers central staff costs and running expenses of the Royal household – including official receptions and parties.

It also funds maintenance of Royal palaces in England and travel costs for engagements and visits.

In exchange, the King gives revenue from the Crown Estate to the government.

The Sovereign Grant is calculated based on 25% of the Crown Estate’s annual profits.

A total of £86.3m was granted for 2022-2023, the same as the previous year.

The Sovereign Grant replaced the former Civil List – which saw the late Queen given a payment, together with a number of government grants, to cover her official expenses – in 2011.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip view a pint of Guinness in the Gravity Bar, during a tour of the Guinness Storehouse, one of Ireland's most popular sites, in Dublin, Wednesday May 18, 2011. Both the Queen and Prince Philip, on the second day of the first-ever state visit to Ireland, declined to taste the Irish stout. (AP Photo/Tim Rooke, Pool)
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The late Prince Philip, pictured with the late Queen in Dublin in 2011, continued to receive an annuity until he died

But the late Duke of Edinburgh continued to receive the £359,000 annuity every year despite the change in the way the royal family’s activities were funded by taxpayers.

The new legislation included a provision for Philip, who died aged 99 in 2021, to continue receiving the annuity for his lifetime.

Now, new laws would need to be created in order for Camilla to receive the funding.

The King’s future schedule, which has not yet been finalised, is likely to be busier than his late mother’s, with events and travel reduced in part due to the COVID pandemic.

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Royal Household spending revealed

“It can reasonably be assumed the King will be hosting more events and travelling to more engagements within the UK and overseas at the request of the government,” the NAO report said.

However, the watchdog suggested there would be sufficient funds from the Sovereign Grant to pay for any extra costs.

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The King welcomes Biden to Windsor

Pic: AP
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Pic: AP

In the past financial year, the royal household’s total expenditure for 2023 was £117.3m – of which, £107.5m was funded by the public.

Millions spent on Buckingham Palace refurbishment

A total of £369m has been earmarked for a 10-year programme to renovate Buckingham Palace, with more than £185m spent between 2017 and 2023, the NAO said.

The royal household said the refurbishment, which includes upgrading cabling, plumbing and heating, is “on track” and is “not expected to go over budget”.

A value-for-money audit report on the major works is due to be published by the NAO next year.

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Plans for an external visitor centre have been abandoned after it was determined a “more suitable solution” is available inside Buckingham Palace, the NAO report found.

New wind farm deals could boost the Crown Estate’s coffers by an extra £1bn a year – which could increase the Sovereign Grant by more than £100m annually.

However, the King asked for wind farm profits to be used for the wider public good in January.

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Labour MP Dan Norris arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences

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Labour MP Dan Norris arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences

Labour MP Dan Norris has been arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Dan Norris MP was immediately suspended by the Labour Party upon being informed of his arrest.

“We cannot comment further while the police investigation is ongoing.”

Police said a man in his 60s had been arrested on Friday on suspicion of sexual offences against a girl, rape, child abduction and misconduct in a public office.

Sky News has contacted Mr Norris for comment.

Mr Norris, 65, defeated Jacob Rees-Mogg to win the new seat of North East Somerset and Hanham in last year’s general election.

He has also lost the party whip in the House of Commons and has stepped down from his role as chair of the League Against Cruel Sports.

Avon and Somerset Police said in a statement: “In December 2024, we received a referral from another police force relating to alleged non-recent child sex offences having been committed against a girl.

“Most of the offences are alleged to have occurred in the 2000s, but we’re also investigating an alleged offence of rape from the 2020s.

“An investigation, led by officers within Operation Bluestone, our dedicated rape and serious sexual assault investigation team, remains ongoing and at an early stage.

“The victim is being supported and given access to any specialist help or support she needs.

“A man, aged in his 60s, was arrested on Friday (April 4) on suspicion of sexual offences against a girl (under the Sexual Offences Act 1956), rape (under the Sexual Offences Act 2003), child abduction and misconduct in a public office. He’s been released on conditional bail for enquiries to continue.

“This is an active and sensitive investigation, so we’d respectfully ask people not to speculate on the circumstances so our enquiries can continue unhindered.”

Mr Norris first entered Parliament when Tony Blair came to power in 1997 and served as the Wansdyke MP until 2010.

He was an assistant whip under Mr Blair and served as a junior minister under Gordon Brown.

Mr Norris has also been West of England mayor since 2021 but is due to step down ahead of May’s local elections.

A spokesman for the League Against Cruel Sports, a UK-based animal welfare charity which campaigns to end sports such as fox hunting and game bird shooting, confirmed he had stepped down from his role.

“The charity cannot comment further while an investigation is ongoing,” a statement said.

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Jaguar Land Rover to ‘pause’ US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

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Jaguar Land Rover to 'pause' US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has said it will “pause” shipments to the US as the British car firm works to “address the new trading terms” of Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The US president has introduced a 25% levy on all foreign cars imported into the country, which came into force on Thursday.

JLR, one of the country’s biggest carmakers, exported about 38,000 cars to the US in the third quarter of 2024 – almost equal to the amount sold to the UK and the EU combined.

Follow live updates: Trump’s baseline 10% tariff kicks in

In a statement on Saturday, a spokesperson for the company behind the Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover brands said: “The USA is an important market for JLR’s luxury brands.

“As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are taking some short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid- to longer-term plans.”

The company released a statement last week before Mr Trump announced a “baseline” 10% tariff on goods from around the world, which kicked in on Saturday morning, on what he called “liberation day”.

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JLR reassured customers its business was “resilient” and “accustomed to changing market conditions”.

“Our priorities now are delivering for our clients around the world and addressing these new US trading terms,” the firm said.

Trading across the world has been hit by Mr Trump’s tariff announcement at the White House on Wednesday.

All but one stock on the FTSE 100 fell on Friday – with Rolls-Royce, banks and miners among those to suffer the sharpest losses.

Read more: A red wall on Wall Street – but Trump seems to believe it will work out

Cars are the top product exported from the UK to the US, with exports worth £8.3bn in the year to the end of September 2024, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

For UK carmakers, the US is the second largest export market behind the European Union.

Industry groups have previously warned the tariffs will force firms to rethink where they trade, while a report by thinktank the Institute for Public Policy Research said more than 25,000 car manufacturing jobs in the UK could be at risk.

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

Two people have died following a fire at a caravan site near Skegness, Lincolnshire Police have said.

In a statement, officers said they were called at 3.53am on Saturday to a report of a blaze at Golden Beach Holiday Park in the village of Ingoldmells.

Fire and rescue crews attended the scene, and two people were found to have died.

They were reported to be a 10-year-old girl and a 48-year-old man.

The force said the victims’ next of kin have been informed and will be supported by specially trained officers.

Officers are trying to establish the exact cause of the blaze.

“We are at the very early stages of our investigation and as such we are keeping an open mind,” the force said.

Two fire crews remain at the scene.

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