Kate brings V.F.M (That's Value For Monarchy) !

Kate ... the royal wife is 'great value for money'

KATE, the Duchess of Cambridge, has breathed new life into the Royal Family — at a bargain cost to taxpayers, senior Palace aides said last night.

Prince William’s 30-year-old wife has been hugely popular in her first year with the “family firm”.
And sources insisted she is great value for money as well.
Accounts for Prince Charles’s Clarence House office — which also pays for Wills, Kate and Prince Harry — show funding for the future king rose by 11 per cent in the past 12 months.
But this had little to do with the arrival of Kate.
One Palace source said: “The past year has been a huge success for the royals — with the wedding, major foreign tours and the build-up to the Diamond Jubilee.
“Having a new member of the Royal Family has inevitably increased costs.
“But these are minimal when you consider how much has been generated in tourism and global interest in the Duchess of Cambridge.”

Popular pair ... Kate and Prince William

The figures published yesterday reveal Charles’s income from grants-in-aid and government departments rose from £1,962,000 to £2,194,000, up by £232,000, during 2011/12.

His private income from the Duchy of Cornwall rose by three per cent to £18.3million.

'The Firm' ... Kate and Queen

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Charles’s tax bill went up from £4,398,000 to £4,496,000.
His official outgoings also rose 5.4 per cent to more than £12million, paid from both government grants and income from his estate.

Accounts ... for Prince Charles's Clarence House office

Since Kate married William, 30, in April last year, the number of staff working for them and Harry, 27, has risen by two — from seven to nine.
The section of the royal accounts which cover the cost of Kate’s dresses for official engagements saw an increase in spending of £100,000.

Press gang ... Kate and Prince Charles

A spokesman refused to reveal what proportion of the undisclosed total was for her wardrobe — but insisted it would amount to only a small fraction. Clarence House also refused to reveal how much private cash Charles spent on the royal wedding.
The spokesman said the wedding — watched by two billion people round the world — was only a “semi-state event” and therefore its cost would remain private.

White stuff ... Kate and Camilla

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There was also no comment on speculation that Kate has spent more than £35,000 on dresses. She still does not have a valet and Wills and Kate’s private staff remain minimal.
By contrast, the figures revealed Prince Charles employed 125 staff at a total cost of £9,831,000.
These included five chefs, five orderlies, three chauffeurs, 19 gardeners and estate workers, two valets and dressers, a butler and a principal private secretary.

Day of joy ... the Royal Wedding

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His accounts also showed £892,000 spent on ten press officers to deal with a mountain of global media inquiries.
Other royal statistics revealed include:
Charles and Camilla travelled 48,000 miles to official engagements last year.
The Prince of Wales carried out 670 engagements.
His charities raised £131million, directly or indirectly.
And Charles received 76,825 letters from the public.