The monarchy not only subsidises the British taxpayer through the massive profit the government reaps from the Crown Estate – this year about $A350 million, the British economy benefits enormously through the generation of close to $A900 million a year in tourism. The monarchy also significantly benefits Australia and the other realms.
According to a report from VisitBritain, 60% of tourists say they are likely to seek out places associated with the Royal Family or the monarchy.
In The Sydney Morning Herald of 29 July, 2010 Peter Woodman reports that The Tower of London was the top royal attraction for international visitors in 2009 with just under 2.4 million visitors – up 11 per cent on 2008.
The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, south London, was second on 2.37 million, with the Victoria and Albert Museum in London third with 2.27 million visitors.
Buckingham Palace welcomed 402,000 visitors last year – a two per cent rise on the 2008 figure, while Windsor Castle visits rose 6.3 per cent to 987,000.
..Australia benfits too
In the meantime, all of the other fifteen realms, including Australia and New Zealand have the benefit of the many services of The Queen and members of the Royal Family without any subsidy to the Civil List. Indeed, as Professor Noel Cox indicated, Prince William’s opening of the new Supreme Court building in New Zealand generated a degree of international interest in the country that tourist officials would have pay a fortune to emulate.
The same is true of his visit to Australia. The advertising budget of the tourist office would have been more than exhausted to equal the attention given to his visit in the international media .
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh’s homecoming to Canada created similar attention around the world.
(You can see the videos on the visit by clicking on the icon “ACM videos” on the left of the front page of the ACM site).
We pay them not a penny, the Prince fitting this in on recreation leave from the armed forces.
…politicians short changing Australia…
Australia governments and organizations unwisely do not seek to draw on the many international advantages which can clearly flow from Royal patronage, including the involvement of members of the Royal Family in functions overseas.
This is because our republican politicians and media take too much notice of the failed republican movement who can’t even tell the people what sort of politicians’ republic they want to foist on them.
This is an example of the obnoxious policy of creeping republicanism, which refuses to recognize the crucial fact that Australia can only become a politicians’ republic with the consent of the people.