Princely sums
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex said they want to be financially independent of the British royal family. How did the royal family support itself last year?
— The Queen and other members received a Sovereign Grant of £82.2 million ($107 million) to cover the cost of their public engagements and the upkeep of the palaces. This was equivalent to 25 percent of the profits from the Crown Estate, which owns property all over Britain.
— In addition, the Queen received £3.2 million ($4.2 million) in rent from palaces, £7 million ($9.1 million) in public entry fees from royal palaces and £7.6 million ($9.9 million) from other events.
— The Queen also received £21.7 million ($28.2 million) income from the Duchy of Lancaster, which owns land and properties mostly in the northwest of England, to cover her living expenses.
— The Prince of Wales received £21.7 million ($28.2 million) income from the Duchy of Cornwall, which has land and property holdings concentrated in the southwest of England.
Royal flush
The Sussexes have registered the trademark ‘Sussex Royal’. Some ideas from eBay for how to make their brand pay:
Christmas card photograph $1.80
Royal wedding mug $8.75
Box of 40 English Breakfast teabags with Duke and Duchess on front $9.80
‘Funko’ figurines of the couple $25
Feeling the squeeze
How have sanctions affected the Iranian economy? The economy is predicted by the World Bank to shrink this year by 8.7 percent. As for other indicators to 2018:
GNI per head ($) 6,200 in 2010, 5,470 in 2018
Life expectancy 74 in 2010, 76 in 2018
Inflation 5.8% in 2010, 3.8% in 2018
Exports (% of GDP) 24 in 2010, 25 in 2018
Imports (% of GDP) 19 in 2010, 24 in 2018
Number of days required to set up business 54.2 in 2010, 77.6 in 2018
Military (% of GDP) 2.9 in 2010, 2.7 in 2018
Net migration -502,000 in 2010, -275,000 in 2018
Primary numbers
How many Democrats have made it as far as the first primary in the past 40 years?
2020 12
2016 3
2008 8
2004 9
2000 3
1992 5
1988 6
1984 8
This article is in The Spectator’s February 2020 US edition.
