8% increase in Queen's allownace

None whatsoever apparently.

The rich and powerful continue on their merry way, using the poor as stepping stones.

There appears to be a magic money tree for some. Before anyone says it's from the Crown Estates and she doesn't get all the money they raise lets remember that the money that doesn't go to her goes into the national coffers. The more she gets the less is available for other things we hold dear like the NHS, education and pensions.

How nice for her. I'd hate to think she was going without in any way.

The contempt we are treated with knows no bounds.

If , as is reported, a fair chunk of this money is to pay for very overdue repairs and updating of Buckingham Palace, surely questions should be asked as to why it has been allowed to get into such a state in the first place? Who was looking after the maintenance programme? I have no beef with the Queen herself, and can see the argument for having her as head of state rather than a president, but there needs to be some serious pruning of the list. Andrew's daughters could earn their own money and pay their own rent for a start.

Anyone who asks those questions will be deemed to be an enemy of the state and unpatriotic . And Gill whats wrong with the Ireland or Germany model of a president who is just a head of state? Not that it will ever happen of course but I find generally that people often conflate the USA model of presidency with the type of president who is just HoS without being head of the government as well.

The irony.

Buckingham Palace is housing stock as it belongs to the state.

Untold millions for one person.

Fire risk for untold 100s of thousands. And shoddy housing.

Andrew and his ex wife live in a house in Windsor Castle grounds, Andrews daughters live in apartments in St James Palace, William and family live in KP, Harry also has an apartment in KP, Charles and Camilla live in Clarence House
Anne and Princess Alexander have apartments in St.James Palace

The Kents and Gloucester's live in KP too.

Plus children and partners of the above

She's not going to move out whilst the work is being done - how nice for her (apart from all her usual sojourns to Windsor, Sandringham, Balmoral etc of course)

Even excluding banqueting, state rooms, etc they could all easily fit into Buckingham Palace. After all, each family also has country residences here and there.

Good point Rigby. I think that idiot Trump has made the title of president toxic, but I digress!I am astonished at just how much money this government has found in an old handbag/under the sofa cushions. We have been told for 8 years that this is a period of austerity, we must all pull our belts in, all for the common good...yaddah, yaddah, yaddah.....and now they have found squillions to bribe the DUP and to embelish the Royal Family. So, if the austerity statement was right, does it mean we are going to have to pull our belts in even tighter? Or was the whole thing a pack of lies used to push the Tory model of the economy,,,,hmm, let me think. I look forward to the Daily Mail tying itself in knots trying to justify this. I feel offended that government think I am so stupid that I will just accept this.

And we pay for security for them too

Thats why I used the word contempt - because that is exactly what it is.

It's another the rich get richer and poor get poorer I have no problem with queen she at least works hard it's all the hangers on they should be paying rent at least .they have no idea what it's like to live hand to mouth like a lot of people are now living through no fault of their own .

How hard to you have to work for 84 million?

Just think how hard developing world women work for starvation wages.

Perhaps the people evacuated from the fire risk, cladded towers could be housed temporarily in one of the many royal houses? !!

I keep seeing the Crown Estates popping up and people saying its HER money and she generously give it to us ...did no one ever learn history.The crown estates were handed over to the governemnt by George 3rd to help pay his debts ,in return he was to have a small income from them.That "small income" has become quite sizeable now!! This is shocking,when Mrs May talks about money trees to folk who are genuinely struggling yet she can find cash for this overprivileged shower of parasites who think they are ENTITLED to the life they have ...and the number of them keeps on growing When will the people of the UK see how they are being used This is a medieval concept being accepted in the 21st century by people who should know better.The monarchy and all its hangers on needs to end when Lizzie dies

In about 1782-4, the Civil List as paid to George III was fixed at £900,000.
The Reign of George III, 1760-1815, the conflict of groups 1782-1784

In 1780, £900,000 would have the same spending worth of 2005's £56,565,000
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/currency/default0.asp

" . . . accounts revealed the Queen's official net expenditure last year increased by £2m, to almost £42m."
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40412343

It is 84 million this year

I don't want a president, another election and it will the very wealthy standing.

So keep the monarchy , Charles as King but get the rest off their backsides and in employment. Harry does an occasional tv appearance or gives a poor me interview to the press. What else? popping off to America or Africa and we pay for all the security thst goes with him. William want's family time, OK, get out of KP , thousands of fathers want family time but they go to work.

Oh dear - very bad timing. They cannot slip this one under the wire this time. And quite right too.

I'm a monarchist and I have the utmost respect for the Queen but I despair.......

I am pretty neutral about the monarchy in the sense that I have no experience of the alternative and I am sure a presidency is expensive too. But the dynastical element whereby the state supports so many of the family is not acceptable any more. Those members of the family who play a role in supporting the nation's interests should receive fair recompense I guess; but the hangers-on, free-loaders and rent avoiders are not acceptable any more. We no longer see the monarchy as god-given.

And the issue of historical buildings in which they live is problematical - I guess no-one wants to see them fall into decay.

But to be spending this on Buck Palace while people are dead and homeless after unwise penny-pinching over the safety of social housing tenants is pretty well beyond the pale. Austerity for one should mean austerity for all.

The rise didn't come from taxes. The amount paid to The Queen through the Sovereign Grant is calculated by 15% of the amount the Crown Estate makes. So the Crown Estate must have made 9% more than it made last year. As the other 85% of the income from the Crown Estate goes into government funds, the coutry has had a rise too.

(found another equivalent value conversion site which goes up to 2017 inflation.stephenmorley.org/

£900,000 in 1782 is approximately equivalent to £143,100,000 in 2017)