Freedom of Information requests by campaign group Royals Cost Watch show the expenses of Lord-Lieutenants have risen to over £2m per year.

Lord-Lieutenants are the King’s personal representatives in each county and carry out ceremonial duties on his behalf. While it is an unpaid position, Lord-Lieutenants are entitled to claim expenses, which are funded by the public.

Royals Cost Watch, with support from Republic, submitted Freedom of Information requests to relevant government bodies across the UK, requesting a breakdown of these costs. The initial request to the Cabinet Office for England’s figures was refused on the grounds that its disclosure would “prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs.” The information was only released following an internal review.

As a result of these refusals, the complete expenses of Lord-Lieutenancies have never been disclosed. Royals Cost Watch’s analysis represents the first time these costs have been fully collated and made public.

The new research reveals the total costs of Lord-Lieutenancies across the UK were £2,013,887 in the 2024/2025 financial year.

A Royals Cost Watch spokesperson said: “Lord-Lieutenants date back to the 16th century, when they were responsible for local military forces. Yet they still exist today, carrying out royal duties in place of members of the royal family, at significant public cost – and despite very low public awareness of the role’s existence.

“These findings come at a time of massive pressure on public budgets and taxpayers’ spending. The government claims to be carefully looking at its expenditure, but wastes £2m a year on an archaic tradition that it refuses to scrap for fear of offending the royal family.

“This adds yet more to the cost of the monarchy to taxpayers, which is estimated to be over half a billion pounds. Spending millions on a purely ceremonial role is impossible to justify during a cost-of-living crisis. This can’t go on.”

A full breakdown of the costs and FOI requests can be found here.