2023-04-22 01:56:56
OTTAWA | King Charles III’s personal fortune, which is completely tax-free, is large enough to pay for the cost of the monarchy in Canada for 45 years.
• Read also: Coronation: a majority of the British once morest its public funding
• Read also: A new photo of Elizabeth II unveiled by the royal family
Three billion dollars. This is the jackpot on which sits the new king who will be crowned in just a week, according to a calculation made by the British daily The Guardian.
As there is no public register of royal assets, to arrive at this calculation, the daily called on a dozen experts to assess the value of luxury cars, properties, works of art, jewelry, horses, stamps and other investments known to the monarch.
We thus learn that his personal fortune would allow him to bear the cost of the monarchy in Canada for 30 years, since it costs taxpayers $67 million per year, according to a calculation made by The newspaper in 2021. The note covers the expenses of the Governor General, her lieutenants, former governors, and royal visits, in particular.
“What’s shocking is that he’s also digging into our pockets, scolds Bloc Québécois MP Rhéal Fortin. It confirms that Charles doesn’t need our $67 million a year. If he wants representatives here, let him do like any business, let him pay for them. »
Opaque and tax free
The evaluation of Guardian remains approximate, since the British monarchy keeps its fortune jealously secret, although it was acquired by the public role of the royal family.
“Although we do not comment on private finances, your figures are a very creative mix of speculation, assumptions and inaccuracies,” a Crown spokesman who is known for his opacity told the British media.
The king’s wealth, however, benefits from the largesse of the British state: a privileged agreement signed in 1993 between Queen Elizabeth II and the Conservative government of the time allows the royal family to escape inheritance tax.
This tax shelter is also the most precious financial asset of the royal family, underlines The Guardian.
Royal opulence will show off in the streets of London on May 6 for the coronation of the king who will travel for the occasion in a huge golden carriage of 4 tons and will wear a gold crown set with precious stones weighing more than two kilos .
No information has leaked from the government or Buckingham Palace on the coronation bill. We know, however, that that of Elizabeth II in 1953 had cost the equivalent of more than 34 million Canadian dollars.
Public support at half mast
As Britons face double-digit inflation, the majority (51%) believe the state should not bear the costs of this event, according to a YouGov poll released earlier this week. The most recalcitrant are the 18-24 year olds who are 62% opposed to financing the coronation.
In Canada, in October, the Bloc Québécois tabled a motion in the House of Commons proposing that federal MPs cut the cord between Canada and the British monarchy. But she was beaten by 266 votes to 44.
Yet support for the monarchy is waning domestically. In September, a majority of Francophones (83%) and Anglophones (54%) believed that the monarchy was “useless”, according to a national survey by the firm Léger, unheard of.
“The polls are clearly once morest the monarchy. I find it hard to understand why my Liberal and Conservative colleagues maintain this servile attachment to a foreign monarch. It’s disappointing,” laments MNA Fortin.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre even introduced himself to Joe Biden as “Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition” during his visit in March, which did not fail to raise eyebrows for the American president.
Some numbers
168 M$
Photo archives, QMI Agency
Estimated value of the King’s private stamp collection, considered one of the most important in the world.
597,5 M$
Photo d’archives, Getty Images
Estimated value of the king’s private jewelry collection, which has 54 unique pieces, including a brooch made up of two imposing diamonds of 94.4 and 63.6 carats.
40 M$
Photo d’archives, Getty Images
Estimated value of the 400 works of art by old masters in the King’s private collection, including paintings by Monet, Chagall and Dalí.
1 G$
Estimated value of the Duchy of Lancaster, the private estate of the British sovereign as Duke of Lancaster since 1399. It contains 18 hectares of land, town planning, historic buildings and commercial property throughout England and the Country of Wales.
10,5 M$
Estimated value of the King’s fleet of 23 luxury cars, including Rolls-Royces, Bentleys and Jaguars.
556 M$
Estimated value of the King’s private estates, including Balmoral Castle and its 20,000 hectare estate, owned by the British Royal Family since 1852.
239 M$
Estimated value of the King’s private investments in the Stock Exchange.
45,5 M$
Estimated value of the 70 racehorses owned by the royal family, acquired or offered in particular to Queen Elizabeth II who was passionate regarding them.
1682138857
#King #Charles #III #full #aces