This is how much the Royal Family spends on travel every year
Royalty definitely has its perks. Reports are surfacing that the British Royal Family spends about £5m ($6.3 million) on travel every year — about 10% of their total budget of £50m ($63 million).
That's not to say it's all for leisure, though. The Royal Family is frequently jet-setting around the globe to represent England at various events and functions. While the Queen travels privately on the Royal Plane, the rest of the family has been known to fly commercial — and, on occasion, at the back of the plane. In fact, at the beginning of Harry and Meghan's relationship, they flew Norwegian Air by stealthily boarding the back of the plane, baseball caps in tow.
According to Royal Correspondent Emily Andrews, Prince Andrew is not quite so low key. He loves "nothing better than to travel around the world in quite opulent, luxurious style and obviously he didn't want to have to pay for any of that," says Andrews. She added, "No chat on royal travel could not be complete without 'air miles Andy'." We like your style, Prince Andrew. Consider this your personal invitation to the TPG Awards in December.
Just how much would spending $6 million on travel get you? Let us put it into context for you:
- Approximately 572 round-trip flights in a Qsuite from New York-Kennedy (JFK) to Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH)
- About 4,437 nights (that's 12 whole years) in an overwater villa at the St. Regis Maldives
- About 21,000 round-trip flights in coach from New York to Los Angeles (LAX)
While the Royal Family's spending power may not be as strong as, say, Jeff Bezos, those are still some pretty impressive figures. Now, if only there were a website that would help them use credit card points to travel the world for free ...
TPG featured card
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 2X miles | Earn 2X miles per $1 on every purchase, everywhere |
| 5X miles | Earn 5X miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Pros
- Simple earning structure
- Bonus categories
- Annual credits
- No foreign transaction fees
- Flexible redemption options, including transfer partners
Cons
- Has an annual fee
- Fewer bonus categories than some competitors
- Lacks premium perks
- Limited-time offer: Earn up to 150,000 bonus miles—75,000 miles once you spend $7,500 in the first 3 months, and an additional 75,000 miles once you spend $30,000 in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles per dollar on every purchase, everywhere, no limits or category restrictions, and miles won't expire for the life of the account
- Receive up to $220 in credits: Receive an annual $50 travel credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel, up to an annual $50 statement credit for purchases at qualifying advertising or software merchants, plus up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® every four years. Terms and conditions apply
- Unlimited 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel
- Transfer your miles to 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Redeem your miles instantly for any travel-related purchases, from flights and hotels to ride-sharing services
- $95 annual fee
- Free employee cards which also earn unlimited 2X miles from their purchases
- Top rated mobile app