Here's Exactly How Much You'd Get Paid Working for the British Royal Family
The British royals have more money than I, personally, am prepared to count up to, and they employ a huge network of people...including themselves-ish (it's complicated, we'll get to that in a moment). And if you've ever wondered (1) if you can work for the royals, (2) how much you'll get paid, and (3) how much they get paid, the answer is (1) yes, (2) not that much, and (3) keep reading. We have a full breakdown on how to work for the royals, where to apply, and how much $$$ you'll get—plus info on what they earn working for their own family brand.
What You Can Make Working for the Royal Family
First of all, if you're interested in pulling back the velvet curtain (literally, they live at a palace) and working for the royals, it's entirely possible. Like, there's a straight-up job site.
So, How Much Do the Royals Pay?
Like most institutions, salaries vary depending on position. As of writing this, the highest paid job on the royal job site is Senior Project Manager, which pays £55,000 to £60,000 (dependent on experience) and works out of Buckingham Palace. The lowest paid job is Warehouse Operative, which is "£10.90 per hour plus lunch and other benefits." As far as jobs that involve working more directly with the royal family go, there's one job as a Senior Attendant which is a live-in role that pays "£23,750 per annum, dependent on experience." Oh, and the Prince and Princess of Wales are currently hiring a Head of Social Media (but there's no salary listed).
There's a Strict Security Process
Everyone who works for the royal family has to pass strict security clearance. According to the Prince of Wales' website, "Everyone who works for the Household will be security cleared. Vetting information is not required when you first apply. However, if you’re successfully offered a position, you’ll be asked for additional information and to complete a security questionnaire. This is nothing to be concerned about. We will contact your professional, and sometimes personal, referees. We'll also undertake background checks in order to process your security clearance."
The entire security clearance process takes 4-6 weeks, so this isn't *exactly* like applying to a regular job.
The Royals Aren't Known for Their Generous Wages
Back in 2022, Insider analyzed the royal jobs page and found that out of 503 jobs advertised between 2015 and 2021, "ten of those positions advertised salaries starting below the living wage recommended by the Living Wage Foundation," while "a further 274 positions advertised pay within pennies of that rate."
Note: the royals were very salty about these claims, and issued a statement to Insider saying, "It is disappointing to find glaring inaccuracies and outdated information being relied on for a series of ill-informed and baseless claims about the operations of The Royal Household."
Just gonna leave this here:
What the *Royals* Get Paid
First of all, there aren't actually that many "working royals." Now that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are minding their business in California, the group includes King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Edward, Sophie Wessex, and Princess Anne.
Their job description? Attending royal engagements, showing up at events for charities and patronages, and being the public "faces" of the monarchy. Basically, they're influencers—and their bills are footed by taxpayers. So how much do they get paid, you ask?
The Royals Get Paid Through the Sovereign Grant
You can get a whole lesson on royal money over here, but when it comes to how the royals get paid through taxpayer money, we need to discuss The Crown Estate.
This pile of assets technically belongs to the reigning monarch for the duration of their reign and consists of a collection of lands and holdings. Forbes reports that in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020, the Crown Estate made $475 million in profit. The vast majority of this revenue (75 percent) goes to the British Treasury, but the royals get 25 percent of profits that goes into what's known as the Sovereign Grant.
Specifically, Their *Expenses* Are Paid
The Sovereign Grant pays for official royal expenses (think: funding for staff, travel, and all those royal engagements). Basically, the money pays for their day-to-day lives as "working royals," and the rest of their personal spending money comes from private trust funds and the vast wealth thanks to being, well, royal.
Per Forbes, Charles's 2020 Sovereign Grant funds were split up like this: $7.3 million went to his 132 personal staffers, $6.75 million went to taxes, $4.4 million went to charitable giving, and $7.8 million went to his sons (Prince Harry was a working royal at the time!).
So What Do the Royals Cost the Taxpayer?
Keeper of the Privy Purse Sir Alan Reid said in 2017, "In 2016-17 the Sovereign Grant equated to a cost of 65p per person in the United Kingdom—the price of a first-class stamp. When you consider that against what the Queen does and represents for this country, I believe it represents excellent value for money."
Sure, but there has been backlash against how Sovereign Grant money is spent. For example, Prince Andrew (back when he was a working royal) reportedly spent £16,000 on a private jet in his capacity as patron of a golf club. Not a great look!
That said, now is probably a good time to mention that the royals do pour billions (that's billions with a B) into the British economy every year. Specifically, an estimated $2.7 billion annually, according to Forbes!
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