King Charles axes royal steam train in order to cut costs ahead of Palace refit
The Royal Train is set to be axed as The King looks to cut down on travel expenditure so funds can be freed up for the refit of Buckingham Palace.
Queen Elizabeth was said to adore the locomotive steam train, which is made up of nine claret liveried sleeper, dining and lounge carriages - it was claimed to be the late Queen's favourite mode of transport during her time on the throne.
The train was first put into service for the former monarch's Silver Jubilee in 1977. Spiralling costs of the aging fleet - including two trips last year which cost a combined £78,000 - has led King Charles to bid the "fondest of farewells" after approving its decommissioning for next year, the Mirror reports.
The royals spent a total of £2.7million last year on travel by private jet, helicopters and rail, according to the annual royal accounts published today. One trip by the King and Queen to Australia and Samoa last October cost a staggering £400,000.
As the royal train reaches the end of the line, ahead of the exorbitant maintenance contract ending in early 2027, accounts show Charles and other members of the royal family will rely on two new helicopters to get around - although palace aides stressed trains and other transport will be used.
Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sentstraight to your messages.
The Sovereign Grant, which pays for the royal family's official duties and the upkeep of royal palaces, is met from public funds in exchange for the King's surrender of the revenue from the Crown Estate, in exchange for 12 per cent back to run their affairs including travel, engagements at home and abroad and welcoming tens of thousands of people to the royal palaces.
For the accounts last year, the royals cost the taxpayer £86.3 million for a fourth consecutive year. But record offshore wind farm profits have seen the Crown Estate net profits for the last financial year and hit £1.1 billion - meaning a record breaking Sovereign Grant of £132million will be handed out next year and the year after.
Palace aides say the extra cash will go towards paying for the £369million refit of Buckingham Palace and the upkeep of other royal residences.
James Chalmers, Keeper of the Privy Purse, said the axing of the Royal Train was an example of the royal household applying "fiscal discipline" in its drive to deliver "value for money".
(Image: Getty/AFP)
The King is said to have fond memories of the train, which features a carriage created for Charles in the mid-1980s which he still uses now he is King. The Prince of Wales is aware and supports the decommissioning decision.
Mr Chalmers said: "The royal train, of course, has been part of national life for many decades, loved and cared for by all those involved. But in moving forward we must not be bound by the past.
"Just as so many parts of the royal household's work have been modernised and adapted to reflect the world of today, so too, the time has come to bid the fondest of farewells, as we seek to be disciplined and forward in our allocation of funding. With His Majesty's support it has therefore been decided that the process to decommission the royal train will commence next year."
The rundown of royal finances - from April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025 - covers the months following the King and the Princess of Wales's double cancer diagnosis and the majority of 2024 - the year described by the Prince of Wales as "brutal" and probably the hardest of his life.
Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox
Mr Chalmers said: "Before it finally goes out of service, it is our hope that the train will make further visits to parts of the UK, while discussions will begin on finding a long-term home where some particularly historic elements might go on public display."
Mr Chalmers said that after returning to public-facing duties in April 2024, the King "demonstrated remarkable resilience by undertaking a wide programme of public and state duties at home and overseas while continuing to receive treatment, demonstrating not only His Majesty's personal commitment to duty but also the adaptability and resilience of the royal household in ensuring continuity of service, no matter the personal circumstances".
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
7 hours ago
- Telegraph
The real reason why the King has ditched the royal train
The loss of another piece of our royal history might feel like cause for sadness – a sign that, in this new order, perhaps it no longer matters how things are done; all that matters is how much they cost. But flick through photographs of the royal train – which, as announced on Monday, will follow the path of the Royal Yacht Britannia and be decommissioned in 2027 – and the decision to shunt it into the sidings starts to seem entirely sensible. To King Charles III, history might be important, but efficiency and usefulness count for an awful lot more. Take the first royal train, which was commissioned by Queen Victoria and decorated in satinwood, with sofas and easy-chairs upholstered in 'dark green Morocco'. Or the cerulean saloon commissioned by George V in 1912, which is so ornate it resembles a Fabergé egg. Even the current model – which was often used by the late Queen and Prince Philip for overnight journeys – is said to include a bathroom with a full sized bathtub. A lovely thing, certainly; a piece of our national story. But as the King is happiest motoring around in a car that runs on biofuel, you can see why he approved of the decision to retire the royal train. It has been taken by many as the latest sign that, at the King's behest (and based on his instinct that gentle but meaningful change is needed), the monarchy is beginning to display rather less pomp and rather more circumstance. Insiders point to the way the Royal households have opened up in the two years since the King's Coronation, which in itself was a nod to how things would be different, with a simpler ceremony and shorter procession route than there had been for previous monarchs. They signal the shift in the way engagements are conducted, and the decision to share both the King and the Princess of Wales's very private cancer struggles with the public. They also nod to an overarching ambition – said to be shared by both the King and the Prince of Wales – to close the gap between the Royal family and the people. An early sign that things would be different came less than a year into his reign in April last year, when it was announced the King would allow public tours of Balmoral for the first time in the Scottish castle's history. Royal sources said the move was connected to the King's wish to make the residences more accessible. There was a feeling that, in more ways than one, it was time to open the doors and let people in. 'There seems to be an increased appetite for public accessibility,' says Joe Little, editor of Majesty Magazine. ' A huge amount of work has been done at Balmoral and at Sandringham, both inside and out.' News of the royal train's retirement was announced by James Chalmers, the Keeper of the Privy Purse, at a briefing on Monday as part of the annual review of royal spending. Many noted how efforts seemed to have been made to ensure the Sovereign Grant is put towards things that directly benefit the public. 'If they're having to make judgments on what to spend money on and what not to, the emphasis now is: 'What is the public getting out of it in a very tangible sense?'' says one insider. 'There does seem to be a bit more of an awareness of: 'what is the actual benefit that people can see and be a part of?'' If the objective is to make people feel they can 'see and be a part of' the monarchy, then opening up the occupied residences (and giving people something worth the cost of a ticket) seems essential. Take the grounds at Windsor Castle. 'The East Terrace at Windsor has been landscaped at a cost of in excess of £600,000,' says Little. 'It was last tackled by the late Duke of Edinburgh in the 1970s. So his elder son clearly felt the time was right to do it in a way that he would like it done. The thinking is seemingly that it would become more accessible to the public than it has been previously. And that has been part of the King's ethos in getting more people into the occupied palaces to see stuff that they weren't able to see previously.' Six-hundred-thousand pounds might sound like an awful lot to spend on 'a complete re-landscaping of the old rose bed layout', as the report details (it also includes, as you might expect given the King's passion, a new design allowing for 'greatly enhanced biodiversity'). But when you consider that two journeys on the royal train – one to the Bentley headquarters last year and another to the Midlands in February – cost £78,000, it does seem a better use of the grant. Meanwhile, St James's Palace has recently been added to the visitor route following successful trials last year. 'Tickets sold out really quickly, so there is clearly a demand,' says Little. It's a good start on a path he suspects the royals will continue down, as the sheer number of residences in the royal property portfolio begins to look unwieldy at best, unnecessary at worst. 'It's not a great look in the 21st century, but what the heck do you do about them?' One observer notes there was a more open tone in the annual report this year. 'They sound very conscious of needing to make a case for the money now,' they say. Meanwhile, to Little's mind, it was 'very much a case of accentuating the positive'. Indeed, at times, the report – with its emphasis on the unique importance and usefulness of the Royal family's work at home and abroad – reads more like a performance review than a fiscal review. Chalmers talked of the King's resilience in taking on such a wide programme of public duties despite his illness, saying it demonstrated 'not only His Majesty's personal commitment to duty but also the adaptability and resilience of the Royal household in ensuring continuity of service, no matter the personal circumstances'. The message that comes through loud and clear is value for money, whether in a mention of a royal tour or an update on the essential refurbishments at Buckingham Palace, which we're told continue 'at pace' and include 'a new lift shaft [...] to accommodate two new lifts, further improving the accessibility of the Palace to all'. The report also details how one of the two official Bentleys has been converted to run on biofuel, while helicopter flights are increasingly making use of sustainable aviation fuel. News that the royal train will be decommissioned, meanwhile, was hailed as 'just one small example of the way in which the Royal household is determined to apply fiscal discipline in all its decision making, in our continued drive to ensure we deliver value for money alongside those global reputational dividends for the UK.' That 'fiscal discipline' seems to underpin a move to make the most of public engagements. Insiders speak of a subtle shift in the way they are conducted. 'Where once an engagement might have centred around the unveiling of a plaque or planting of a tree, now there is an emphasis (particularly when it comes to the Prince and Princess of Wales) on using the time to make a real impact,' says one. 'When they visit a charity or travel to a city they haven't been to for a while, they make sure there is a legacy to that visit. A new project set up, new connections made. They are less bothered about the picture opportunity, more about being genuinely useful while they're there.' In May, it was announced that the Wales's Royal Foundation had joined forces with Street Soccer Scotland, funding a project to renovate and enhance Leith Community Centre, while in April, the Prince and Princess announced, during a visit to Mull, that they had funded the refurbishment of a community hall and a new soft play area for young children. There has been a shortening, too, of the distance between the monarch and the public. While the late Queen knew the importance of visibility (there was, of course, that much quoted line: 'I have to be seen to be believed'), to the King, it seems more important that a personal connection is made when he meets someone. 'There was an invisible forcefield around Queen Elizabeth II,' says Little, 'a line you dared not cross'. 'It worked for her, but in the present era we need someone who is a bit more approachable as Head of State, and that's what we've got.' In fact, he says, we now have 'a touchy-feely monarch'. The King doesn't seem to mind if someone at a reception goes in for a hug rather than the customary bow or curtsey, as happened in September when he found himself at the centre of a hug that turned into a scrum at a reception for the New Zealand rugby team at Buckingham Palace. The late Queen would never have embraced a member of the public, but nor would a member of the public have attempted to embrace her. There was a respectful distance, a reverence that was reassuringly consistent. Little can recall that line being crossed just once 'in America, much to her surprise'. 'But Charles III is much more open to it, and seems to enjoy it. We see that with the Prince of Wales as well, and the Princess of Wales.' Described at the Palace even after her death as having been a 'quasi deity', Queen Elizabeth II was remote but ever present. With Charles, that relationship between monarch and subjects is softening. Deference is giving way to familiarity, curtseys are swapped for selfies. It began early when, in the weeks after the late Queen's death, a woman asked the King outside the gates of Buckingham Palace if she could hug him. 'Of course,' he replied. Afterwards, Sir Clive Alderton, the King's private secretary, is said to have told Palace staff that the moment encapsulated the 'informal formality' of the new reign. In the three years since, that assessment has repeatedly proven to be astute.
Daily Mirror
9 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Inside the playboy princes' Royal love train where Charles had secret tryst
The Royal romance with the railways is over now that the historic train is to be axed, but it was once a favourite for princes with its nine claret-liveried carriages which boasted every luxury from baths to bedrooms KINGS and Queens have enjoyed a royal romance with the railway for almost two centuries, but now the end is signalled. Buckingham Palace accountants yesterday axed the exquisite, practical and historic Royal Train to save money. King Charles bid 'the fondest of farewells.' And so ends a love affair dating back almost to the birth of the passenger railway two hundred years ago. In November 1980, the Sunday Mirror's front page claimed it was a love train. The headline read 'Royal Love Train : Secret meetings in the sidings,' reporting two late-night trysts between Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. The story told how Lady Di, aged 19, had been driven 100 miles from London before being ushered through plain-clothes police lines to meet her prince on a lonely track in the Wiltshire countryside. 'Then followed hours alone together for the couple whose friendship has captured the nation's imagination,' the report continued. A second rendezvous the following night, after Prince Charles had entertained his Duchy of Cornwall tenants in Bath as part of a West Country tour, was, allegedly, 'an open secret in the village.' Conforming with royal policy, the meetings were denied. But there is no secret about the origin of the royal romance with the railway. On 13 June 1842, Queen Victoria became the first reigning monarch to travel by train. She was 'quite charmed' with a half-hour journey on the rail-road from Windsor to London, 'free from dust and crowds and heat.' Her husband Prince Albert, was not quite so impressed with this new-fangled mode of transport, cautioning the Great Western Railway: 'Not quite so fast, next time, Mr Conductor!' But the royal family became a unique part of the railway story, reflecting the nation's highs and lows through decades of war, social unrest and crises like the Covid epidemic. It could be said that the royal train is a timetable of English history. In 1883, when the country was shaken by Irish republican terrorist dynamite outrages, a threat was made to assassinate the Queen en route from Windsor to Ballater. It might have been a hoax, but the government took no chances and 'watchers' scrutinised every inch of the 600-mile journey. Unfazed, Victoria took every opportunity to travel and be seen by her subjects, and was given the first custom-built royal train by the GWR in 1897, fitted with electric lighting and a toilet, though she demanded station stops to use the facilities. Her last journey was also made by rail, when her coffin was transported to Windsor from Paddington for burial in 1901. READ MORE: Top secret WW2 message finally revealed as codebreaker, 101, says 'we were in danger' Her successor Edward VII – the playboy prince 'Bertie' - ordered a brand-new royal saloon within a year, complete with smoking-room and a day compartment in the Colonial style. In grand Edwardian manner, he explored his kingdom at leisure, visiting the landed gentry and provincial racecourses. He was followed on the throne by the altogether more serious naval officer George V, whose reign from 1910 to 1936 took the nation through World War One, the high tide of British imperialism, the rise of socialism and fascism – and the heyday of the railway. The Midland Railway built him a new royal saloon at its Derby works. But with the onset of World War Two, a secret new design took shape. In 1941, the LMS built his successor, George VI, three armour-plated saloons with document safes, in which the reluctant but deeply-admired monarch toured bomb-damaged towns and cities across the country. Post-war austerity Britain, with the railway nationalised by Labour in 1948, was no time for regal railway extravagance, and the new Queen had to wait a quarter of a century before she was presented with her first – and the nation's last – royal train in 1977. This unique set of nine claret-liveried carriages, boasting every luxury from baths to bedrooms and a dining car seating 12, is the last word in British craftsmanship. Built at Wolverton works for her Silver Jubilee, it has lasted well, with at least one refit, for almost fifty years. In future, His Majesty will usually travel around his kingdom by helicopter or car, though few would be surprised if he joins a regular service train. He is known for enjoying a visit to the 'cab', especially if it's steam-hauled, as in 2018, behind 35028 Bulleid Pacific Clan Line, built in 1948, the year of his birth. Today's train, of seven of British Rail Mark 3 design and two built for the HST prototype, has had security significantly upgraded. But it was used only twice in the past year, at a cost of almost £78,000. Axing will save an estimated £1 million a year in upkeep and maintenance. James Chalmers, Keeper of the Privy Purse, said : 'The royal train has, of course, been a part of national life for many decades, loved and cared for by all those involved, but we must not be bound by the past.' Decommissioning begins next year, concluding in March 2027, when some particularly historic elements might go on public display. Carriages of previous royal trains, including from Queen Victoria's reign, have been on display at the National Railway Museum in York for many years, visited by well over half a million people a year. There is a powerful argument for preserving the entire train on site, as the Royal Yacht Britannia was retained for the nation in Leith harbour. Save Our Royal Train! The current set includes 'her and her lounges' - initially for the Queen and Prince Philip and now for the King and Queen Camilla, a dining car with place settings for 12, a kitchen car, bedrooms, and bathrooms with staff carriages also equipped with sleeping quarters. One 75ft carriage is for the monarch's sole use, with a 3ft wide bed topped by a tartan coverlet. The room has a bedside cabinet with a wireless permanently tuned to BBC Radio 4. Several framed landscapes by Scottish artist Roy Penny hang on the walls. The loss of the royal train will disappoint not only train-lovers but train drivers, for whom driving the Royals is a special honour. There has never been any shortage of volunteers – including, on one memorable occasion, Mick Whelan, general secretary of the train drivers' union, Aslef, called urgently to the colours, when the royal driver went sick. It has to be said that the day did not go quite as intended. Arriving at its Wolverton base from Euston, the royal train was inadvertently delayed. 'Yes, well,' Mick admitted to his union's journal. 'Some of the carriages went one way, and some another.' READ MORE: There have been other incidents, some potentially more serious. In October 2015, a member of the Royalty Protection Branch accidentally discharged his automatic pistol during an ovenight stop in South Wales. Both the Queen and Prince Philip were on board, but heard nothing and were undisturbed. Had Queen Victoria still been with us, her reaction would surely have been: 'We are not amused!' This truly has been the age of the Royal Train. Six incredible facts about the Royal Train • The Dowager Queen Adelaide, widow of King William IV, was the first royal to travel by train, from Nottingham to Leeds in July 1840 • King George VI had an armour-plated train for visits to towns and cities, targeted by the Luftwaffe in WW2 • Two special locomotives in claret livery, 67005, Queen's Messenger and 67006, Royal Sovereign, share train-haul duties • They are owned by DB Cargo – the German state railway - and operate normal goods services when not on royal duty • Royal train drivers are chosen for their experience, route knowledge, unflappability and skill – including being able to pull up the train within six inches of a designated stop • Royal author Penny Junor says the train is 'very dear to them. It's somewhere completely private, with everything they need on board.' • Paul Routledge's Mirror Book, For The Love of Trains, celebrating 200 years of travel after the first passenger train on 25 September 1825 on the Stockton and Darlington railway, is out later this year.
Edinburgh Live
10 hours ago
- Edinburgh Live
Throwback Edinburgh '90s McDonald's voucher shows how much things have changed
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A rediscovered McDonald's voucher from the mid 90s has revealed how much things have changed over the years. A photograph of a voucher offering two Big Macs or McChicken Sandwiches for £2 has been shared by an Edinburgh local after it was found in the back of a drawer. The image of the retro voucher shows it was valid until August 31, 1995. Locals were able to use the ticket at any McDonald's store in the capital after 10.30am. The chain was open seven days a week from 8am until late. Some 30 years on, it would almost seem unimaginable to get two burgers for £2 with a single Big Mac costing £5.59 in 2025. While one McChicken sandwich now costs a mere £4.99. Back in 2023, we reported a menu from the early 1990s has several items that surely would be welcomed back by today's customers. A photograph of the McDonald's menu pinned to a wall at a branch was taken in 1993 and contains some surprise items. Back then you could see a Big Mac on the menu for £1.79 while a Quarter Pounder with cheese would cost £1.81. You could enjoy a large Triple Thick Milkshake for just £1.14 but if you wanted to take it away, it was only 97p. There were also three sizes of French Fries. The large would set you back £1.05, the medium 84p, while the regular would be a mere 57p. But perhaps some of the most interesting things from the menu are what you can no longer buy at McDonald's in 2023. First, the British class, a strawberry trifle described as "a fresh cream trifle with rich strawberry fruit jelly and sponge on a layer of dairy cream custard with rosettes of fresh cream." Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sentstraight to your messages. It's not known exactly what year McDonald's decided to take trifle off the menu but one online commenter who said they picked one up at an airport in 1993 remembered it being "surprisingly tasty". Another lost item includes the McDonald's Big Breakfast, which consisted of a buttered muffin, a hash brown, a sausage patty as well as scrambled egg all for just £1.29. The landmark restaurant on Edinburgh's Princes Street opened in 1988, and since then the famous franchise has launched outlets all across the city.
