During a rundown of royal finances, one of the King’s key aides revealed how the monarch is tackling his royal duties as he continues his cancer treatment
The King has shown “remarkable resilience” as he carried on with royal engagement despite still receiving cancer treatment, according to one of his key aides.
James Chalmers, the monarch’s new Keeper of the Privy Purse who is in charge of royal finances, said at the annual Sovereign Grant briefing that Charles’s approach illustrated his “personal commitment to duty”.
The rundown of royal finances – from April 1 2024 to March 31 2025 – covers the months following the King and the Princess of Wales’s double cancer diagnosis and the majority of 2024 – the year described by the Prince of Wales as “brutal” and probably the hardest of his life.
Charles made a rapid return to public-facing duties in April, while Kate made a more gradual one after revealing in September she had finished her chemotherapy treatment, and later confirmed at the start of 2025 that she was cancer-free.
Mr Chalmers said: “This year has, of course, seen something of a ‘return to normal business’ after the health challenges faced by members of the family in the previous fiscal year.
“Indeed, by happenstance, the period to which this Sovereign Grant Report relates correlates almost exactly with His Majesty’s return to public-facing duties, in April of 2024.
“In the subsequent months, the King demonstrated remarkable resilience by undertaking a wide programme of public and state duties at home and overseas while continuing to receive treatment, demonstrating not only His Majesty’s personal commitment to duty but also the adaptability and resilience of the Royal Household in ensuring continuity of service, no matter the personal circumstances.”
Mr Chalmers said the King and the princess’s return to public duties had been met with widespread public support “reflecting the profound connection the royal family maintains with people across the country and indeed the world”.
“No metric can fully capture the scale of this connection,” he added, noting that the royal websites had seen a record 4.2 million new visitors, and the royal family’s accounts had almost 400 million views of video content across its digital communications platforms and 1.3 billion impressions generated from its social media content.
It comes as it was also revealed that the King is to axe the late Queen Elizabeth’s beloved Royal Train after decades of service in an attempt to save cash towards the multimillion refit of Buckingham Palace.
The locomotive steam train, comprising nine claret liveried sleeper, dining and lounge carriages, was the Queen’s favourite mode of transport throughout her reign.
The current train came into service for the late monarch’s Silver Jubilee in 1977, pulled by one of two locomotives which use eco-conscious biofuel made from vegetable oil waste.
Spiralling costs of the ageing fleet – including two trips last year which cost a combined £78,000 – has led King Charles to bid the “fondest of farewells” after approving its decommissioning for next year.
The royals spent a total of £2.7million last year on travel by private jet, helicopters and rail, according to the annual royal accounts. One trip by the King and Queen to Australia and Samoa last October cost a staggering £400,000.
As the royal train reaches the end of the line, ahead of the exorbitant maintenance contract ending in early 2027, accounts show Charles and other members of the royal family will rely on two new helicopters to get around – although palace aides stressed trains and other transport will be used.
The Sovereign Grant, which pays for the royal family’s official duties and the upkeep of royal palaces, is met from public funds in exchange for the King’s surrender of the revenue from the Crown Estate, in exchange for 12 per cent back to run their affairs including travel, engagements at home and abroad and welcoming tens of thousands of people to the royal palaces.
For the accounts last year, the royals cost the taxpayer £86.3 million for a fourth consecutive year. But record offshore wind farm profits have seen the Crown Estate net profits for the last financial year have again hit £1.1 billion – meaning a record-breaking Sovereign Grant of £132million will be handed out next year and the year after.
Palace aides say the extra cash will go towards paying for the £369million refit of Buckingham Palace and the upkeep of other royal residences.