Prince Charles' Public Subsidy Leaps 18%

Anti-monarchists in Britain are wondering why public spending on Prince Charles and his household shot up 18% at a time when most government departments are grappling with major cutbacks. The prince's annual accounts show that government grants to cover things like his official travel and the upkeep of his residence rose to $3.13 million over the last year, reports the Independent.

The prince's income from private sources rose slightly, to $24.5 million, while his non-official spending rose by a half to $4 million, including some of the spending on the royal wedding. The prince's private secretary says the 56% rise in travel expenses funded by the British government is skewed by the fact that Canadian taxpayers, not British ones, footed the bill for the prince's trip to Canada in the previous financial year. (More Prince Charles stories.)