The cost of the British Royal Family often raises eyebrows and fuels anger across the Channel, but for the Belgian taxpayer too, they are also not cheap.
The Belgian Royal Family will cost taxpayers almost €1.3 million extra next year, amounting to a total cost of €43,275,00, Het Laatste Nieuws reported on Friday based on the bill for the upcoming financial year. The rise in cost is largely explained by inflation and indexation.
A large part of this sum goes to allowances for members of the family. King Philip (63) will receive about half a million euros more, bringing his operating budget – officially referred to as the Civil List – for 2024 to almost €15 million. This budget should allow him to do his job as head of state, using it to pay (part of) his staff, organise activities and settle energy bills, among other things.
L-R, Princess Eleonore, Prince Gabriel, Queen Mathilde of Belgium, King Philippe - Filip of Belgium, Crown Princess Elisabeth and Prince Emmanuel pose for a family picture. Credit: Belga / Dirk Waem
Philip's sister Princess Astrid (61) will see her endowment go above €400,000 a year for the first time, as her costs are also indexed, while his brother Laurent will get slightly less than this sum. Princess Delphine (55), the illegitimate daughter of King Albert II of Belgium, does not claim an endowment.
Philip's father former Belgian King Albert (89), who at the time of his abdication more than a decade ago, argued that €923,000 was too meagre a pension, will get €1,165,000.
The King's daughter, Princess Elisabeth, who just turned 22, has been entitled to an endowment since her 18th birthday, but as long as she is still studying – she is in her third and final year of history and politics at Lincoln College in Oxford, and will graduate in May 2024 – she doesn't claim this money.
However, Het Laatste Nieuws stressed that this budget does not reflect the true cost of the monarchy, as there are more expenditure items scattered among ministries and government agencies. For example, the Federal Police and Defence Ministry supply hundreds of officers and military personnel, costing around €19 million.
