Although any commoner with a search engine can find a flight from L.A. to London shows a bargain around $700 per ticket, or a bit more than $2,000 for business class, Prince William and his wife Catherine spent an estimated $80,000 on a one-way tickets for that exact trip. To be fair, that number accounts for commercial boarding passes for their seven-person entourage. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge purchased business-class tickets for themselves and a senior advisor at $9,000 each, and all three of them were upgraded (free of charge) to first class.
These numbers, and more, are all a matter of public record. On Monday, the Royal Family released documents detailing their expenses.
The Telegraph reports that the Royal Family's travel expenses total at $9,500,000 from 2011 through 2012. The money was paid for by taxpayer funds. In fact, the article says, "The Queen's official expenditure increased by £200,000 (0.6 per cent) from £32.1 million in 2010/11 to £32.3 million in 2011/12, according to the royal public finances annual report." While the Royal Family cut expenses regarding the running of the Press Office at Buckingham Palace, deffering on property maintainence, and pay freezes, "the taxpayer funds used to pay for official air and rail travel at home and abroad for members of the Royal Family increased by £100,000 from £6 million in 2010/11 to £6.1 million in 2011/12."
most expensive trip in 2011 for the Royal Family was taken by the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall through the Middle East, South Africa, and Tanzania last fall. The trip cost $722,761.55, reports The Daily Mail, and is an example of how he's earned the nickname "Airmiles Andy."
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