Report reveals cost of royal tour of Australia

10 Oct, 2014 by Helena-Reet Ennet

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OHMYGOSSIP — The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s 10-day tour of Australia cost a total of $474,137 excluding security, figures show.

Britain’s Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s recent tour of Australia cost taxpayers in the country considerably less than it cost for Queen Elizabeth in 2011.

The 10-day trip around the country for the couple – who married in 2011 – cost a total of $474,137 excluding security, while it cost $2,688,819 for the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh to make a similar trip.

According to The Australian, the bulk of the money spent by the younger royal couple was the result of transport costs, which included using the RAAF to fly them from New Zealand to Australia and then interstate upon their arrival.

Thereafter, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spent $85,366 on their media liason team, $72,638 on meals, accommodation and other incidentals, and $59,486 on hospitality and events.

There was also a further $4,309 attributed to miscellaneous costs.

However, the figures do not include the cost of security, which is said to have been worth as much as $1.5 million.

By contrast, the visit of Queen Elizabeth, now 88, and the Duke of Edinburgh cost more than $2.6 million in 2011, not including security.

This was largely because of a $1.8 million transport bill, much of which can be attributed to their chartering of an airliner to and from the UK.