How Much Does The Royal Family Cost Each Member Of The Commonwealth

Tourist Aspects

It is difficult to quantify the income the monarchy brings in to Britain from tourist aspects, let alone in other Commonwealth countries. Visit Britain, the national tourism agency, claims the United Kingdom banks five hundred million British pounds annually from its tourism industry (675 million dollars). Media attention of the Royals brings tourists to particular destinations like the Tower of London, the most visited attraction in all of Britain in 2009 with 2.4 million visitors. St. Paul's Cathedral was second with 1.8 million tourists, and Buckingham Palace counted 420,000 tourists in the only eight weeks of summer it was open to visitors. Visit Britain claims 12.5 percent of the biggest United Kingdom attractions are associated with the monarchy. For 2009, of thirty million U.K. tourists, 5.8 million visited castles while 6.4 million visited religious sites (mostly associated with the monarchy).

Events and ceremonies royal family members attend in Commonwealth nations generate hundreds of millions of dollars in free publicity for those countries' tourism industries. The Diamond Jubilee caused a resurgence of interest in the royals worldwide, and over half a billion pounds (more than 675 million dollars) were sold in commemorative merchandise.

Second in popularity was the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton, now the Duchess Of Cambridge, in 2011. The royal wedding recorded an astonishing two billion watchers around the Commonwealth and world, as did the 2018 wedding of his brother Prince Harry to Meghan Markle, now the Duchess of Sussex. Around 360,000 tourists attended the 2011 festivities in central London. Retailers made small fortunes from selling souvenirs, specialized foods, and royal merchandise.