End of the line for Britain's royal train
As part of the royal family's annual finances revealed late on Monday, the king's treasurer announced he had approved the use of two helicopters to ferry the royal household and decommission the train due to high costs.
The process to bring the nine-carriage train to a halt will begin next year, according to the monarch's financial report.
James Chalmers, who as the Keeper of the Privy Purse is the king's treasurer, described the move as an example of the royal household applying "fiscal discipline".
The Sovereign Grant, which pays for royal duties and upkeep of palaces, remained at £86.3-million in the financial year ending in March 2025.
Next year the grant will rise to £132-million.
The king bid the "fondest of farewells" to the train, which includes a carriage created especially for him in the 1980s.
"The royal train, of course, has been part of national life for many decades, loved and cared for by all those involved," said Chalmers.
"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-looking in our allocation of funding," he added.
The report comes at the end of a fiscal year in which Charles returned to royal duties after being diagnosed with cancer, for which he is still receiving treatment.
The king "demonstrated remarkable resilience by undertaking a wide programme of public and state duties at home and overseas while continuing to receive treatment," said Chalmers, commending his "resilience".
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