Should the Royal Family have to declare gifts

[Polka83]

I would be interested in people thoughts. Should the royal family have to declare gifts made by other states?

There is a Guardian article which says royal family agreed to declare gifts received over the last 4 years but they have failed to do so.

I understand that the royals will receive gifts from friends which don’t need to be declared, but what about gifts from other heads of states? It is unlikely that these gifts would come to the royals if they were commoners.

There are strict rules in how the royals should handle these gifts and if they belong to the state rather than personally by individual royals. For example, the Duchess of Sussex got £500,000 earrings from Saudi Arabia. How can we check if these rules are being followed unless they declare them?

https://amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/oct/12/buckingham-palace-published-list-official-gifts-royal-family-king-charles

Yes, I think they should.

These people are rich beyond belief. They have everything in life handed to them. It's only fair they then disclose what they get, so that the taxpayer can see exactly how they are living.

Thanks for clarifying that, I now seem to remember reading (as you mention) that some of the jewels mentioned in the article were on display in an exhibition in The Queen's Gallery at the time it was published.

Edit - clarification. As to why the Guardian do this - they've been doing this for years. Every couple of months they let one of their Republican leaning journalists have an article which usually just rehashes and re-edits old stories. Nothing really comes of it. And I say this as a Guardian subscriber of decades now. If you read it long enough you see the pattern.

You are insinuating something sinister, no idea what!
I had no idea that articles about the Royal family can only be posted once on the Royal Board. I will go and look up previous reactions when it was posted, it will be an interesting read if I can find it!

There's nothing more paranoid than a paranoid monarchist!🤣

Paranoid? Me? No, not at all. 🤣 Just posting facts.

If you’re inferring something from those facts maybe you’re the paranoid one?

Could it be because Megan has taken some jewellery over to America? I'm not having a go at Meghan just pointing out her jewellery collection is overseas with her.

I thought it would be Meghan's fault!

@caringcarer this has NOTHING to do with Megan 😂😂😂😂

Yes they should declare gifts and yes the whereabouts of said gifts should be traceable by anyone interested.

There has been far too much in the way of smoke and mirrors over the years and if the monarchy intends to survive it needs to make itself far more transparent and accountable.

The Guardian has dome a sterling job bringing stuff to light when no-one else is interested. I hope they continue to do so.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/apr/07/royals-made-almost-2m-from-sale-of-horses-received-as-gifts-from-prominent-figures

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/apr/13/revealed-official-gifts-to-royal-family-contained-in-100m-private-stamp-collection

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/apr/18/king-charles-renting-out-edinburgh-property-given-to-mother-in-role-as-queen

Edited because one link wasn't relevant 😁

I don't think so. Anything Meghan took would be hers (and as far as I remember the only item she was loaned was the tiara at her wedding. She would have returned that immediately). Anything from Diana or wedding gifts would have already been noted.

Seems pointless as they have no influence over the running of the UK unlike the PM.

BustingBaoBun

I will go and look up previous reactions when it was posted, it will be an interesting read if I can find it!

Should be easy to find if you C&P the link and use Advanced Search, I think.

Good suggestion @LaMarschallin

Thank you 😊
I hope BustingBaoBun finds the read as interesting as she expects.

Another blurred line here:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/apr/17/the-other-royal-collection-windsors-multimillion-pound-private-trove-of-art-may-include-official-gifts

There’s a lengthy policy about how gifts of all capacities are to be managed, publicly available on the Royal family website. The Guardian of course isn’t alleging that these procedures have not been followed internally, just that the lists of official gifts have not been published.

https://www.royal.uk/sites/default/files/media-packs/gifts_policy_2003.pdf

I was actually thinking of stuff that belonged to Diana before her. Also I think the Queen gave her some earrings. I'm not sure if they were a personal gift or if they belonged to the crown.

Reading through the Guardian articles and the posters linking to them, I’m not sure what their starting point is, so it would be helpful to clarify. Are they saying:

Any gift by anyone to the Royal family in any circumstances should belong to the State?
Anything a Royal family member buys that appreciates in value should belong to the State?

There’s a lengthy policy about how gifts of all capacities are to be managed, publicly available on the Royal family website.

It doesn't appear to have been updated for over 20 years.

I can't set much store in the promises of 'regular review' either given they haven't got round to declaring the goodies raked in over the last four years.

The article says much of the art Charles owns was inherited from his Grandmother, who bought it with her own money, when it was cheap. So not a gift that needs handing over.

The Chagall bible was gifted to Prince Philip by Chagall himself before the rules about gifts came into force. They came in the next year which suggests the Bible left the monarchy in a difficult position which they recognised and brought in rules to cover future gifts.

There are no examples in the article of items which were gifted to the royals and which they kept against the rules.

I understand The Guardian is anti monarchy but this is reaching. Charles inherited art like many other rich people (and which he would have paid IHT on because it wasn't a monarch to monarch inheritance). Philip accepted a gift within the rules at the time it was gifted.

The Guardian need to do better. I am sure there are lots of things that need changing in the monarchy to align better with modern societal and economic realities but the way to bring about change is not with specious arguments.

@Serenster Anything they receive as a gift while on duty should be declared. Anything they receive a gift because they are a member of the RF should be declared.

If they have agreed to, they should honour that agreement.

I agree.

Like the Taylor Swift tickets that I am guessing - but only guessing because the royals aren't declaring these things - William and the kids got for free.

I would have more respect for The Guardian if they went after other rich people as well. Even if we abolish the monarchy the country will not suddenly become economically fairer. The art and other treasures will simply be bought by other very rich people, most of whom contribute nothing to society.

Well the king is one of only a handful of people with a weekly meeting with the pm. Certainly in a position of access.