The Queen is great value for money at 53 pence per person per year.
Her Majesty and the rest of the royals carry out thousands of engagements that bolster our community at home and brand Britain abroad.
They are rallying point for our armed forces and help boost our economy as overseas envoys. The monarchy’s popularity is at its zenith and the royal birth will add to global interest.
That said, the Queen recognises the need to be thrifty and cut where possible.
She insists that the Keeper of the Privy Purse, Sir Alan Reid, finds efficiencies while maintaining standards, a tricky balancing act. To reduce costs to the taxpayer the Royal Household is generating its own income.
The cost of royal travel, although still huge, is down too — but while ensuring value for money it is essential to maintain the dignity and tradition of our Head of State.
Anything else would be a false economy.
The boost in funds generated by The Crown Estate has meant the Palace has pushed ahead with essential repairs to iconic buildings.
This newspaper has highlighted the state of Buckingham Palace in the past. Action was needed. Repairs to Kensington Palace would have had to be done eventually.
But given that the Queen and Prince Philip will be doing less in future, why not embrace that and redeploy resources?
Her team, staffed as if the monarch and consort were operating at full pace, could be used to help the tiny team looking after William, Kate and Harry if they become full-time working royals. They, after all, are the core focus of media and world attention and they need the infrastructure to support that level of interest.
