They may be one of the wealthiest families in the world, but the British royal family knows that they have to be frugal to stay that way. Here are some ways that the royal family saves money:
- They often fly commercial, and sometimes even opt for economy class. William and Kate have been known to fly commercial and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, flew economy class to France last year.
- They mix high and low. Prince William revealed that Prince George and Princess Charlotte have some IKEA furniture in their rooms.
- They cut energy costs. The bills for lighting and heating four palaces are simply too high! According to the Financial Times, the following notice was posted in the palace: “The attention is drawn to all members of staff to the need to switch off unwanted lights – By Order of The Master of The Household.” According to her staff, the Queen often wanders around the palace at night turning off lamps. And to save on her heating bills, the Queen even uses a space heater at Buckingham Palace.
- They recycle. Queen Elizabeth notoriously saves and re-uses wrapping paper every Christmas. Princess Charlotte used the same pram that her great-uncles used in the 1960s and members of the royal family know that they don’t have to buy something new for every occasion; they are often seen in the same outfits over and over.
- They shop sales. Kate is widely known to shop sales rather than jump on the latest trends. She knows that you don’t have to buy the newest thing to look beautiful and elegant.
- They do it themselves when they can. William and Kate choose to do most things on their own rather than hire a big staff. They opted against a personal chef, butler and valet. Even on her wedding day, Kate didn’t go for the royal treatment: she did her own make-up!
Now, if only Billshark could unleash their Sharks on some of the royals’ monthly bills … then they would really be swimming in riches.