The King is bidding the “fondest of farewells” to the royal train after approving its decommissioning in a bid to provide “value for money” to the taxpayer.
Charles and other members of the royal family will rely on two new helicopters when the eight-carriage train stops running ahead of a maintenance contract ending in early 2027, according to the annual royal accounts.
James Chalmers, Keeper of the Privy Purse, described the move, which will end the royal train after decades of service, as an example of the royal household applying “fiscal discipline” in its drive to deliver “value for money”.
It comes as the annual accounts showed the Sovereign Grant, which supports the official duties of the royal family, cost the taxpayer £86.3 million in the past year.
The figure remains unchanged for the fourth consecutive year, while royal travel increased by £500,000 to £4.7 million and payroll costs were up £2 million to £29.9 million.
While the top-line figure remains unchanged, the story behind it reveals a Royal Household working harder, modernising faster, and opening its doors to more of the public than ever before.
Published by Buckingham Palace, the report covers the financial year from April 2024 to March 2025 – a period marked by the return of both the King and the Princess of Wales to public duties following treatment for cancer.
Despite their health challenges, royal engagements surged. Over 1,900 official duties were carried out by members of the Royal Family across the UK and abroad, with more than 93,000 guests attending 828 official events at royal residences.
The King’s own schedule was packed. He attended his first Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting as sovereign, hosted state visits from Japan and Qatar and led the Royal Family’s commemoration of key Second World War anniversaries in Britain and Europe. Throughout, the focus of the new reign continued to sharpen—less pomp, more purpose.
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