British monarchy costs taxpayer one million pounds more

London: Queen Elizabeth II cost British taxpayer nearly 1 million pounds more during her Diamond Jubilee year in 2012.

According to Buckingham Palace accounts released in London on Thursday, the Queen's official expenditure increased by 900,000 pounds from 32.4 million pounds to 33.3 million pounds in 2012-13, compared to the previous 12 months.

The annual Royal Public Finances report also found that taxpayer funds used to pay for official air and rail travel at home and abroad for members of the royal family fell by 500,000 pounds from 5 million pounds in 2011-12 to 4.5 million pounds in 2012-13.

Royal staff costs rose from 17.5 pounds million to 18.3 pounds million in 2012-13, while the cost of maintaining royal buildings increased by 200,000 pounds to 9.1 million pounds.

"The royal household has continued to reduce its expenditure funded by the taxpayer in successive years since 2008-09, achieving a real-terms reduction of 24 per cent over the last five years," said Sir Alan Reid, Keeper of the Privy Purse.

"A significant part of the increase to the Sovereign Grant in 2013-14, supplemented by further income generation, will be used to tackle a backlog in essential property maintenance at the working royal palaces," he added.

The Queen's official expenditure excludes the costs of police and army security and armed services ceremonies.

The grant paid to the British monarchy is calculated as 15 per cent of money paid by the Crown Estate to the government.

The estate, which includes property across the UK, increased its profits by 5 per cent to 252.6 million pounds in 2012-13.

Public money used to fund the royal family, known as the Sovereign Grant, is expected to rise to 36.1 million pounds in the current financial year and 38 million pounds in 2014-15.