Am disappointed with the way Reuters poses the question. You could have asked whether or not the queen was worth 0ver 40 million pounds of tax payers money. Most people, I suspect, would say no. However, you attemp to trivialise the finance by wording it so. You know as well as I that a certain percentage of the UK public would see the 69pence reference and then blindly agree.

No, she isn’t worth it. I want all of my 69p’s to be refunded! There is also a proposal to build a giant crown, at great public expense, on the roof of Westminster Abbey. I propose that we should, instead, build a large guillotine on the abbey roof. This could extend downwards, into the building, towards the dais where monarchs are crowned.

Vive la Republique!

Yes she is.

The figures can be twisted any which way by the relevant interest groups. According to the linked article, the Crown Estate pays £211 million pa to the government and the cost of the monarchy is £45 million. Take one figure from t’other and the government makes a profit of £166 million pa. that’s the way I read it. Can anyone else say differently.

It’s a pity that Reuters can’t give a bit more depth and balance to its reporting.

If they were free they wouldn’t be worth the memory and relic of tyranny that they represent. There is no evidence that they bring in any tourism at all - two Spanish tourists were even recently arrested for taking photos of Buckingham Palace wall, that’s bound to encourage tourists. If you were going to Norway, Denmark, Sweden or wherever would you be visiting due to their monarchy? Didn’t think so, so why do you think anyone comes here for ours? IF they did they’d probably be sadly disappointed as where are they on display anyway? If the palaces, houses and art collection which we own were all opened up to the public think how much more people would come to see all that. France is the top tourist destination, learn from that.
Industry? Prince Andrew has silenced the findings of a report he commissioned himself into his effectivness as Trade and Industry ambassador, draw the inevitable conclusion from that.
No if they were free they’d not be worth it, but costing what they do, routinely chartering flights round Britain at tens of thousands a pop, just seeing how much they can get at every avenue and then asking for more, no that is a revolting obscenity, insulting and plundering from every person in this country. Don’t let the parasites around them fool you, monarchy is totally and utterly wrong on every level, it is indefensible.

Yes, she’s worth every penny and then some, if only to save us from the preening vanity of an elected head of state.

God Save The Queen (and us) from some jumped-up politician pretending to have a bit of class.

what is this, the daily mail website or something?? anyway, academic question really as it’s hardly as if we’re asked to pay (or have a choice)… we are taxed and the royals get a peice of it.