Buckingham Palace receives £4 billion invoice for King Charles

Activists associated with an anti-monarchy group delivered a £4 billion invoice to Buckingham Palace, demanding King Charles pay back the money the royal family has taken from the British taxpayer since 2017. 

According to the group named Republic, the £4bn invoice was handed in at the gates of Buckingham Palace last month.

It said the move was aimed at highlighting the huge annual cost of the monarchy.

The group said "the stunt" came "in advance of the latest annual report from Buckingham Palace, which Republic has described as "inaccurate, incomplete and misleading."

The organization said it released a report last year setting out the full half a billion pound annual cost of the royals.

In a statement issued by Republic, the group has demanded King Charles repay the last eight years of costs as a down payment on a full refund.

The statement said, "The invoice tells Charles to pay the Treasury. The Treasury does not accept cash payments made in carrier bags or any other receptacle."

Republic's CEO Graham Smith said, "This is tongue-in-cheek stunt designed to raise a very serious issue."

He said, "The monarchy is dishonest when setting out their annual costs. They end up costing the public more than half a billion pounds a year."

Smith added, "The Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster are clearly public property, yet all the profits go to Charles and William. The security cost is out of control and local councils are hit with bills wherever the royals go."

"So we're sending an invoice to Charles, demanding repayment of that half a billion cost for the past eight years, subject to a full inquiry into royal abuse of public money."

"In April this year that cost went up a further £45m due to rising profits from the Crown Estate."

"When the Irish presidency costs just £5m a year, why does our head of state cost another half billion pounds," he questioned.

Buckingham Palace has not responded to criticism or the demands made by Republic.