Keystone-SDA
Terminus for a symbol of the monarchy: the British royal family will soon abandon its train, announced the treasurer of King Charles III on Monday evening, ending a secular practice as discounts of expenses and modernization projects.
(Keystone-ATS) During an intervention on annual finances, the head of royal expenses James Chalmers announced that the sovereign family could count on the use of two helicopters to move, but that the royal train would be withdrawn from the service due to high costs.
The convoy of nine wagons will be put out of service from 2026, according to the same source.
“Like so many aspects of the royal family work have been modernized and adapt to reflect the world of today, the time has also come to make our warmest farewell, when we are looking to show discipline and look forward to our subsidy,” said Chalmers, caretaker of the private stock market, of his official title.
Queen Victoria (1837-1901) is the first British sovereign to have been able to count on the services of a train specially chartered for her.
In 2020, Prince William and his wife Kate borrowed the royal train to make a trip of around 2,000 km to the United Kingdom to thank the workers deemed essential during the Cavid-19 pandemic.
The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II (1952-2022) should have been brought from Scotland to London aboard this train but the project was finally abandoned for security reasons.
Mr.Chalmers described the measure as an example of the “tax discipline” that the royal family applies.
An investigation by a British media published last year aroused anger in the United Kingdom, revealing that Charles III and his eldest son, William, received money from public organizations while being exempt from certain taxes.
The sovereign allowance, which subsidizes its official obligations and the maintenance of the palaces, was set at 86.3 million pounds (101 million euros) for the fiscal year ending in March 2025.
The new allowance was increased to 132 million pounds (154 million euros).
The 76 -year -old monarch has been treated since the beginning of 2024 for cancer whose nature has never been revealed.
